I'm a teenager I've got problems
by Hagzissa
Summary: High school AU. Dean Winchester is close to getting kicked out of school, has an unwanted admirer and a pregnant ex-girlfriend. When he meets Castiel, the new student in his brother's class, he's not sure if he's got a new problem adding to the list. Eventually he finds out that Cas isn't quite as he expected. / slow built Destiel / warning: usuage of the bad word and references
1. Don't get preachy, H

**Hello, dear readers!**

**This is my very first SPN high school AU. I'm sorry if there are typos, it's not beta'd. **

**Reviews are very much appreciated; both praise and criticism. Have fun reading!**

"Dean, I'm just trying to help, you understand?" Miss Banks, the school counselor, said for what felt for the thousandth time.

"I told ya, I'm fine," Dean replied, his arms crossed.

"That brawl with Mr. Crowley was just the tip of the iceberg. You've got some solid anger management issues there." Miss Banks looked at him from over her eighties reading glasses. She was a woman of about fifty years, with gray hair and a cardigan of a similar color. She looked oddly colorless sitting behind her desk brimming over with all the garishly colorful pamphlets. _Planned Parenthood – It's your choice! _it said on a lilac pamphlet and _Am I pregnant?_ on another. Dean quickly looked another way. He didn't want to think about it. He just didn't.

"Can I go?" he asked, without facing Miss Perly Glasses.

"You may," she answered, "But remember: not talking about your problems will not solve them."

Dean grabbed his backpack and hurried to the door, slamming it behind him. He sighed. Finally out!

Charlie, who had been waiting for him, got up from a chair outside of the office. They walked in silence through the empty corridors. It was just when they reached the exit, that Charlie started talking.

"You have to keep your temper under control," she stated, "or you'll get expelled."

"Don't get preachy, Hermione. I had enough of that back in there."

Charlie tutted, but didn't argue. Instead she asked: "Have you asked her?"

Dean wasn't happy about the change of subject.

"No, I haven't. Why do I have to ask her anyway?! Shouldn't she tell me?"

"Maybe it is not yours."

"Yeah, but maybe it _is_. You girls are fucking lucky, you know that? You always know what's up."

Charlie chuckled. They had reached the parking lot. Sam waited in front of the car.

"Where have you been?!" Sam questioned accusingly.

"You brother has been making trouble again," Charlie declared.

"Dean?!"

"Shut up, it's none of your fucking business."

Dean slipped behind the steering wheel of his Chevy Impala, Charlie on the seat next to him.

"Why do I _always_ have to sit in the back?" Sam whined, as soon as they had set off.

"Because you're a kid, Sam. If that isn't convenient for you, you may as well walk."

Sam rolled his eyes.

They spent the afternoon playing videogames on the crappy TV set in the living room. Sam was upstairs doing his homework, frequently rumbling down the steps to tell them to tune down the sound.

At five the doorbell rang. Charlie craned her neck to peak out of the window.

"It's Jo," she announced.

"Oh, crap," Dean complained.

It rang again.

"Just go," Charlie pressed.

Dean gave her a pleading look. She pulled him up, dragging him towards the door.

"I'm gonna kill you," Dean whispered before opening the door.

It was indeed Jo, wearing a tank top due to the warm temperatures and a wide smile.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi, Jo," Dean and Charlie answered in unison.

Jo's smile faded away. She glanced over to Charlie, looking slightly disappointed.

"I didn't know you had someone over," she said, biting her lip.

"Yeah, well, I do," Dean answered awkwardly.

"I was just wondering… Ash and the guys are meeting up at the ruins tonight. Are you coming, too?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Okay," Jo replied, turning around, "Then see you later, maybe."

Dean watched her walk through their messy front yard. The rusty gate squeaked as she closed it behind her. She had the decency not to look back.

When they retreated inside, Sam's voice was heard from above.

"Who was it?"

"Just Jo," Dean answered.

"I still don't get why you're not into her."

"Because I know her ever since I can remember, that's why. And maybe because I don't want to have another Lisa?"

"That didn't stop you from hooking up with Anna," Charlie said over the roars of her virtual bear companion.

"That was before I knew – well, before I thought – anyway _she_ was flirting with _me_ not vice versa."

"And you couldn't resist her angelic smile, or what?"

"Get a love life of your own, will ya?"

"Yeah, maybe I'll court Jo. _I_ think she's cute."


	2. booze discount

**This chapter is also still a bit of an introduction.**

Dean did go to the meet-up that night. He was not sure why he went exactly, probably to distract himself from his thoughts about Lisa.

The ruins that Jo had mentioned were nothing more than a few walls left from a house that had been torn down. It was located near to a small wood and a lake. Dean, his brother, Jo and Ash had spent many afternoons exploring the area when they were younger.

Dean was walking, it was not far from their little, shabby house. He passed Bobby Singer's Salvage Yard were his father worked. Bobby and his father John were friends. When Dean's mother had died in a fire, they had moved to this town and Bobby had offered the job to John. He knew how John felt, having lost his wife to cancer a long time ago.

Bobby had babysat the two brothers from time to time and so did Ellen, Jo's mom, who owned a bar just two blocks away.

Jo. Yes, Dean liked her. He even thought she was pretty; still his feelings for her were of a brotherly nature. Perhaps they knew each other too well. He valued her as a friend and her obvious crush on him made things so difficult. Couldn't they just be pals? But no, breaking up with Lisa had raised her hopes – that had been five months ago, around Christmas.

Lisa and Dean had been together for three and a half months. That was quite a long time for Dean's standards. The only relationship that had lasted longer than that had been the one with Cassie in middle school, but the only thing they ever did was awkwardly holding hands in the movie theater. Dean liked to flirt, to make out, sure, but having a relationship? That took courage and commitment and he sometimes lacked of both.

That was also why Lisa ended their relationship – he was too eaten up in his own problems than to be an attentive boyfriend. Since then they hadn't talked much. They didn't have many courses together this term, so he didn't have to encounter her very often.

One day he had seen the altering in her appearance – her shirts became tighter, she suddenly wore sweat pants _a lot_ more often. Now there was no denying: Lisa was pregnant. And they had had sex. More than once. Dean was hundred percent sure that they had always used a condom, but he knew from sex ed that there was still a slight chance of a pregnancy left. Where they a part of the unlucky few? Dean didn't want to become father and most of all he didn't want to be tied to a high school ex for his entire life.

When Dean arrived at the ruins, he could hear chatter and laughter from afar. It was only 9pm and the sun hadn't set yet, still twilight casted a gray light over the tree tops. Someone had ignited a little campfire. Huddled around the dancing flames was a group of about a dozen people. He could make out Jo and Ash, who waved when he spotted Dean.

"Hey, man, how are you?" Dean greeted him.

The patted each other's backs.

"I'm great," Ash said, inviting him to sit with a gesture. "I got discount on the booze," he announced triumphantly.

Ash was three years older than Dean. His grades had been even worse than the Winchester's and he was now working in a supermarket in the neighborhood when he was not tinkering with old computers.

Dean took a canned beer and looked around. There were only few people he knew. Jo was talking to Garth, a nervous boy from her school, and he sighted some jocks from his school that looked vaguely familiar. The other kids were probably from Jo's school, too, or had graduated already.

After an hour, two beers and some respectable gulps from a juice carton containing a sweet mixture of whatever, Dean was primed. He had discovered that the guy on his left, a twenty-ish man with shaggy white-blonde hair, had a similar taste in music. He was stoned, so their conversation wasn't exactly elaborate. It consisted mainly of "You know that one song…?" "Yeah, that's awesome." After another hour, the two of them performed a heartfelt rendition of _Lynyrd Skynyrd_'s greatest. It was afterwards that Jo came to sit next to him.

He beamed at her. "Jo!"

It had become chill and the campfire's emitted heat couldn't prevent Dean from shivering slightly. He was, after all, only wearing his leather jacket. It was this and his intoxication, that made him not stress when Jo nuzzled up to him, placing her arms around his hips. Her head was on his shoulder, her blonde hair tickling his cheek.

It was some time around midnight, when Luc turned up. Luc went to Dean's school. He was a sophomore and feared by teachers. He had gotten suspended for a week last term for setting the school's bins on fire. Dean had had detention together with him more than once. There was something about him that Dean didn't like. He didn't know what it was. But one thing he knew for sure: Luc meant trouble. A lot of people also said that about Dean, but at least he had never attempted scissoring the head cheerleader's hair during lunch. Luc had brought a ghetto blaster blaring techno through the night and apparently spray paint.

Jo stirred next to Dean.

"I think I'm going home," she declared.

"I walk you home," Dean said in a sudden outburst of chivalry.

"No, Dean, _I _walk _you_ home. You're drunk as fuck."

And sure enough, Jo had to drag him up. He swayed slightly. Jo linked arms with him and together they set off. They took the shortcut through the wood. It was pitch-black. Jo took out her phone, but it was not much use. Still they knew the way and the only thing happening to them was a branch brushing their arms occasionally. They walked in silence until they reached the road.

"So it's you and Charlie now, is it?" Jo asked, kicking a _McDonald's_ cup with her feet.

"What?"

"She's your girlfriend?"

Dean jerked to a halt. Jo let go of his arm. They were now facing each other. Dean giggled. He and Charlie… seriously…

"What's so funny about that?!" Jo questioned.

She looked angry.

"Nothing's. No. Not funny," Dean said in a dead serious voice, "We're not. Charlie. Girlfriend. Ha."

He burst out laughing again. Jo sighed and linked their arms again. It seemed that she had accepted that there was no reasonable answer to be expected from Dean.

The Winchesters' house was surrounded by a small yard with unmown grass. A rusty swing-set which had been acquired for Sam's fourth birthday, was next to the door. There was no light behind the windows. Sam had gone to bed and his father hadn't come home yet. He was on date night with Kate. Dean checked his watch. It was 2am. John had told him he would be home at three, tops, and that he expected him to be home by then, too.

Dean and Jo went on the swings. It squeaked when they sat down. Jo dug her shoes into the sandy spot beneath her. Dean was slightly rocking back and forwards.

"Jo?"

"Hem-hem."

"You know I like you and all," he began, not sure how to proceed, "but – I know it's the crappiest thing to say – you're like my sister, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Jo replied, giving him a sad smile.

She squeezed his hand before standing up.

"You take care," he called after her.

"I know self-defense, Dean!"

When his father came home, Dean had managed to climb up the stairs. He had dropped on his bed and had immediately fallen asleep.

**Next chapter I'll introduce Cas, I promise! I hope you liked it nonetheless.**

**With Luc I meant Lucifer - I figured the name was too special for a all-human-AU so I changed it. It's for you to decide whether it's pronounced like Luke or Luce.**

**TBC**


	3. fortunately not claustrophobic

**Thank you for the follows and favs! I'm happy you like it! This chapter will be from Castiel's POV. Enjoy!**

Castiel watched his parents return to the car through the window. Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, he could tell from their movements that they were fighting again. Castiel's mom had been crying when she had kissed his cheeks as a farewell gesture.

"It's not like you'll never see him again," his father had said, "He'll be fine, won't you, boy?" Castiel had mumbled his agreement.

"What did you say? I can't hear you!" he had said in an annoying singsong voice.

"Yes, sir," Castiel had repeated, his voice full of barely concealed hatred.

His mother had given him a last hug and they had left him on the doorstep of a degenerated apartment house on Main Street. His brother had helped him carry his luggage, which consisted of two suitcases, a backpack and two plastic bags, upstairs. Almost everything he possessed was crammed into them, including his clothes, his books and his laptop.

His brother Gabriel's apartment was located on the third floor. It consisted of a reasonably large living room with a kitchen included, a small bathroom, a bedroom and a storage room. The room had barely enough space to fit a mattress in it. There was no wardrobe, but solely some shelves and a tiny mirror. This was Castiel's new home.

"I'm sorry, Cassie," Gabriel declared when he showed Castiel his new room, "When I moved in I didn't imagine you would join me."

"Yeah," Castiel replied.

"At least you're not claustrophobic."

Castiel grinned weakly.

"When you got someone coming over you can have the living room," Gabriel said, clapping his brother on the back, "As long as you clean up _the mess_ afterwards, you know?"

He winked.

"Gabe, would you give me a moment? I'm just really tired. We've been driving for three hours."

Gabriel nodded and thankfully left him alone. Castiel took off his _Chuck Taylors _and let himself fall onto the sheets. He stared at the white ceiling, a naked bulb dangling from it. So this was it. His home. For at least half a year, until his parents had sorted out their divorce. New town, new school, new everything.

Going into exile had been his idea, but he still wasn't sure whether or not it had been a good one. He and Gabriel were the exact opposite of each other – Castiel was introvert and grave, whereas Gabriel was rather extrovert and giddy. He was seven years older than Castiel and went to collage. They had family in this town. His mother's siblings and their kids lived here. Castiel had spent the first six years of his life here, too. Then they had moved into a bigger city because of his father's promotion.

And now their parents were getting in divorce. Dropping him off at Gabriel's had been their last collective act. They had tried their best not to fight during the journey; still the atmosphere had been tense. He had had his earphones plugged in all the time. His mother had been sitting next to him in the back of the car. She had tried to read in a novel, but most of the time she had gazed out of the window. Not that there was much to see. Mostly fields, occasionally a small town. Three motels, a diner and a gas station.

Castiel had expected that he'd recognize parts of the city, but nothing looked familiar. He knew that he had cried when they had moved. He hadn't want to leave his kindergarten friends behind.

He had no such feelings now. It had been his first term in high school. He hadn't managed to make friends. Ever since puberty, Castiel had been rather quiet. School had always come easy to him – he had a good memory, he was processing information fast. There was so much knowledge about the most random things stuffed in his brain that he often knew the answers to the teachers' questions, because _hadn't he heard about something like that once_? He usually didn't disturb classes. Grade A student. Teachers _adored_ him. But being a teacher's pet is not really that cool if you're sixteen. When you're sixteen you're supposed to socialize, going on dates, going to parties, getting drunk for the first time, retching onto the expensive carpet in your friend's house… Or having make-out sessions with a cute girl against the lockers until a strict teacher comes round the corner to tell you off for it.

But Castiel didn't want make-out sessions with a cute girl. His preference for boys was not carved in stone, either. His lack of experience with any kind of person made it all a blur. His crushes however had always been male. But being _out and proud_ of being gay was kind of difficult if you were not able to be _out and proud _of being a person, either.

On Monday morning, Gabriel drove him to school. They were late. Gabriel still had to adjust to not living alone. They needed to figure out a bath use schedule. Gabriel had needed ages to shower!

Now they were sitting in his rusty old car. Castiel had his schoolbag on his lap. Whenever he moved his feet, he could hear sweet wrappers rustling.

It took some time to find an unoccupied parking space. Tomorrow he'd take the school bus that stopped not far from their apartment. He'd been exploring the whole weekend. Gabriel had shown him his campus and taken him to his favorite eatery for a burger. Castiel liked the neighborhood. The paint was flaking off the walls and there were some empty stores, but it was this seeming ugliness that he found so appealing. He couldn't stand the fake cleanliness of his old environment. It felt as if there was no one living there. Sure, this quarter didn't look _healthy,_ either, but it was decaying rather than dead already.

Castiel was grateful that the corridors were empty. He liked to get to know the place first before having to fight his way through the crowds. A secretary led them to the principal's office. Mr. Schubert was a man of sixty years with a white moustache and not much hair on his head. He looked like a nice grandpa, someone who was totally unable to cope with today's youth's gadgets such as iPods and cell phones and nose piercings.

"Ah, Mr. Novak, is it?" he greeted him.

Castiel nodded and they shook hands. They both sat down. Gabriel produced a lolly from his pocket and started to unwrap it.

They ran through the formalities. He got a piece of paper informing him about his locker combination (8954) and another one containing the school rules.

"Janice is going to show you around and take you to your first class," he announced finally.

When they left the office, Gabriel patted him on the shoulder.

"See ya later, bro."

Janice, the secretary, showed him his locker. It was close to the cafeteria.

"The restroom's that way and here is your first class. The room numbers are noted on the timetable Mr. Schubert handed you out."

She knocked at a wooden classroom door with a brazen plate saying 'HISTORY Ms Raphael' on it.

"Come in," a stern woman's voice sounded from within.

Janice gently shoved him inside.

"This is your new student, Michelle," she informed the teacher.

Ms Raphael nodded. She was an African American woman wearing a navy blue suit and a white dress shirt. There was a pointer in her left hand, a map of the United States behind her.

She gestured him to step in front of the class. The students sat in rows. It was not like in the movies where everyone was staring at the new kid. Sure, some had looked up in curiosity, but as it was still first period, many people were sitting with their head on their arms; a girl in the back was looking at her phone with a dull grin on her face and another was staring out of the window.

"What's your name?" Ms Raphael asked.

"Castiel," Castiel said and cleared his throat, "Castiel Novak."

God, he hated telling people his name. Why couldn't his parents give him an ordinary name like Kevin or Jason? Even Gabriel was a better name!

"Why don't you sit down next to Sam?"

Sam gave him an encouraging smile. He sat front row on the left, close to the windows. Castiel sat down, fumbling with the zipper of his backpack. Ms Raphael continued with her lecture. He got out his pencil-case and a note pad. Sam, who had occupied most of their double table's space with his books and folders and notes, hastily made space for him. Castiel glanced at the boy's tidy writing.

"Civil War?" Castiel said with a groan.

"Yeah," Sam confirmed, "For the thousandth time."

"Exactly."

They smiled at each other.

"I'm Sam."

"I know."

**That was it. I'm sorry for that morbid sentence about decaying neighborhoods, I'm not sure where that came from. I've actually no idea what is the subject in American high school history classes, so again, guess work. I'm just pretending I'm super informed and all.**

**Hasta luego.**


	4. Novak

**Thank you for the follows!**

Sam walked him to his next class, English, which they had again together. Sam didn't force him to talk. He seemed content with silently accompanying him, occasionally remarking on things, like "Oh, if I were you I wouldn't use the third cubicle. The water switch is not working."

Castiel had been surprised about Sam's height when he had stood up after Ms. Raphael had ended her lesson. Castiel wasn't short himself, but Sam was huge. Still, you could tell he was quite young from his face He wore a Luke Skywalker haircut. Castiel had noticed that whenever he was concentrating, he run his fingers through his brunette mane.

In front of the classroom door they were joined by a tiny girl with straight blonde hair, a note-pad and a pen with a pink feather at the tip pressed to her chest.

"Hi, Sam!" she exclaimed happily, "Guess what?"

"What?" Sam replied, sounding rather annoyed.

"I've got a story for _Colt_!"

"It's not about 'Supernatural' again, is it?"

She averted her eyes, slightly ashamed.

"I'll tell you during lunch," she announced when they entered the classroom.

"_Colt _is our school magazine," Sam told him, "If you want to join just ask Chuck. We could need an additional writer."

After English and two other periods it was lunchtime. Castiel went to his locker to store his new text books in it. It was just then, when a familiar voice called his name.

He turned around to see who it was.

It was Michael, his cousin. They hadn't seen each other for quite a long time. Not since… yeah, not since Christmas two years back. He hadn't changed much. He still wore his dark hair combed neatly and a plain emerald sweater revealing a white dress shirt's collar.

"Hi, Michael."

"Mom told me you'd move here," Michael said while they walked to the cafeteria together. "She said you should come for dinner."

Castiel nodded.

The cafeteria was a noisy place. There were two long tables with benches. The food was served opposite the doors. They lined up.

"How are you?" Michael asked.

"Okay," Castiel answered.

What else was he supposed to say? Michael and he had never been friends exactly. He was a senior, a good student like himself, but also a bit smug. He was so different to his little brother Luc. Castiel looked around whether he could see his other cousin anywhere, but he didn't.

Instead he spotted Sam who sat with a group of friends, including the girl from the school magazine.

"You can sit with us," Michael said, probably thinking he was generous, as they had their trays laden with something that was labeled as lasagna.

He pointed towards a group of boys at one end of the table. Some of them greeted Michael when they sat down. Michael was asking him all kinds of questions about his first lessons, their drive and about his future. Castiel wondered how someone else could be so curious about things, he had barely been thinking about himself. In fact, Michael talked so much that Castiel was surprised that his plate was emptying at all.

"Would you like to join the Mathletes?" he inquired hopefully.

"Nah," Castiel replied, "I'm not so into math."

"It's a hopeless case, Mike," the boy sitting opposite them said, "We won't find anyone this year. Man, why did Lisa have to leave?!"

Michael sighed.

"We're one person short for the contest," he explained, now turning to Castiel, "because that bitch dumped us."

"Don't call her that," Michael scolded him.

"I'm calling her whatever I like. She chose _it_ over us."

He angrily shoved his tray away from him and pulled out a gaming magazine from his school bag.

"Well, if someone wanted to do _it_ with me, I'd dump y'all, too," a third boy announced with a snigger.

Michael looked somewhat embarrassed about his friends or whatever they were.

"Who have you been talking to earlier?" Dean asked his brother.

They were sitting at their usual spot as far away from the odorous vapors coming from the kitchen.

"Who do you mean?" Sam asked, checking his sandwich's filling. "Dude, how many times, I _hate_ tuna!"

"Make your own sandwiches then," Dean said, shrugging. "I mean the kid with the black hair. Haven't seen him before."

"Oh, that's Castiel Novak," Becky intervened unasked for.

She had taken the seat opposite of Sam, much to his annoyance. Why did she have to have a crush on him? It was exhausting and it hurt Chuck who had a thing for her. He was sitting next to her now, but she didn't pay him attention.

"Caftel Nofuck?" Dean repeated with a full mouth.

"He's cousins with Michael and Luc Novak," she informed them, "See, he's sitting with Michael."

Dean craned his neck to get a good look on him. He could only their head's backs, identically jet-black.

"He's nice. I've invited him over for next weekend," Sam announced.

"You what?" Dean said with a shocked look on his face.

"I've invited him over?" Sam repeated taken aback.

"Sammy, you're not befriending Luc fucking Novak's cousin!" Dean hissed.

"Why not? His brother Michael is okay - "

"Yeah, he spends his free time on math, that's not fishy at all - "

" – and anyway, you can't judge people by there relatives. I mean, I don't want people to judge me based upon what they think about you."

Dean snorted.

"Look, he's new in town. He doesn't know anyone, I tried to be nice, that's all. He seems to be shy, actually."

"Yeah. Being nice will be your death. That's probably what it'll say on your gravestone; _Here rests Sam. He was nice_," Dean snapped and added, "Are you done, Charlie?"

Charlie, who had followed the conversation quietly, nodded and together they set off. When they had returned their food trays, they went outside. They still had some time left until afternoon classes started. They walked around the school building and sat down on the grass. They weren't the only ones enjoying the sun. It was extraordinarily warm for May. Still, Dean was frowning.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked.

Dean just shrugged. No, he wasn't. How was he supposed to be? Lisa probably didn't tell him he was becoming father because she was ashamed that he was. Even his own brother was ashamed of him! Perfect little Sammy, with his As and his articles, talking to the new kid. And who was he? A complete failure.

"Are you mad at Sam?" Charlie asked him, as if she had read his mind.

"Yeah," Dean said.

There was something about Charlie that made him be honest with her almost at all times. Maybe it was that she would never talk to him again if he didn't. They had become friends in their freshmen year. They'd both been attending a screening of a _Star Wars_ episode at the small movie theater downtown. Dean had recognized her from P.E. classes and decided to talk to her, as he felt a little uncomfortable between all the cosplayers, having come as himself.

Charlie had worn a white dress and her hair had been braided just like Leia Organa's.

"You should talk to Lisa. Soon. Today. Or tomorrow. You have to get over it. I can come with you, if you want."

"Thanks, Charlie, but that's definitely something I have to do on my own - "

Charlie opened her mouth to say something, but Dean anticipated her.

" – and no 'We're in this together' _Harry Potter _crap now, okay? Because we're not. You've got nothing to do with this bullshit."

"I didn't say anything!"

"But you were about to."

"I hate you, Dean Winchester, you know that?" she said with a fond smile that told just the opposite. "Now, come on, up with you or we'll be late for history."

Sam obeyed Dean reluctantly and that Castiel boy didn't get to see their place. Sam had invited Castiel to come see him play soccer for their school team on Sunday, though. After some consideration, he had said he would come.

Sam was happy. He liked the new kid and was mad at Dean for not at least giving him a chance. It didn't seem like Dean at all. He was normally a people person – maybe not as open as Sam, but he talked to pretty much everyone. Something was bothering his brother. He was quite certain of it. He was irritable, spent much time in his room and was not talking as much. But whenever Sam tried to subtly question him, he got snapped at. He knew that his brother was in a feud with Crowley from his chemistry course, but he was sure Dean could handle that…

Sam met up with Castiel at the school gate. He had come by bike.

"Hi," Sam greeted him.

Their sports ground was located down the by-road. As soccer wasn't such a big thing, there were not many supporters to be seen walking towards the pitch. Their audience was usually limited to the players' families and friends – if they could make it. When Sam had started playing in middle school, his father had been to all his matches. Now however, he spent lots of his time with his girlfriend Kate. Sam was actually happy about that because it meant that he didn't spend his time at the Roadhouse, getting drunk. Dean didn't like Kate. Sam wasn't so sure about her, either. It was just an awkward situation. His father never had a relationship after their mother's death. He had been to dates, but this… This seemed to be serious. Kate did her best to befriend the boys, but to them she still was a stranger.

John had fixed her car after a car crash. Nothing serious, though. Only scratches on metal and skin. John always said that she'd been lucky. Sam wished he wouldn't. Just the passing mention of a car crash made him cringe. His childhood friend Jess had died in a car crash. It had taken a good portion of persuasiveness from Dean and his father to make him learn how to drive. Still, he usually let his brother drive, who happily obliged. He _loved_ that car. Sam sometimes joked that Dean's _baby_ was the only one who he'd ever truly loved.

"So, do _you_ do any sports?" Sam asked while they walked.

"No. Not so much of a jock," Castiel replied.

"Why? You don't look like a couch potato to me…"

"I take that as a compliment," Castiel replied with a chuckle, "I mean of course I do lack talent but the main reason why I've never joined a team is that I'm not a team player."

Sam didn't know what to say about this so they remained silent until they reached the sports grounds. Castiel locked his bike at a fence.

"Is this an important match?" he wanted to know.

"Not really. I mean, yeah, we're playing against Flintwood High. That's one of the other local high schools, and so it's kind of a derby. Maybe there'll be even an audience. Apart from you, I mean. Thanks for coming by the way. I should've warned you probably. It's not a social event or something."

"That's fine with me. Doesn't your family come?" Castiel asked.

"My brother Dean said he might drop by when he's woken up," Sam answered.

"It's half past one," Castiel said in disbelief.

"Well, that's Dean."

**I'm sorry about this chapter. I feel like it's crap. I need to bring the story forward! So it might take some more time to figure out how to do that (do not fret, though, I'm sure I'll have a sudden inspiration at 4am or on my way to school or something).**

**Again, I would love reviews! Tell me what you think! I'm not psychic, sadly! So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE? ;-)**


	5. sports

It was two o'clock when Dean was awoken by the shrill sound of the doorbell. He could hear his father walking to the door, each step making the floor boards creak.

Dean turned around, groaning.

"Hello, Mr. Winchester," he heard Charlie's muffled voice from below, "Is Dean home?"

"He's still asleep," John replied.

"NO, I'M NOT!" Dean shouted, "NOT ANYMORE!"

He could hear Charlie laugh and John inviting her in. Charlie rushed up the stairs and stormed into the room.

"Good… morning," she said grinning.

Dean snorted.

She sat down on the edge of the bed. She wore her red _Gryffindor_ shirt and looked terribly awake and enthusiastic.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asked.

"Making sure that you don't spend your whole weekend on jerking off to cartoon porn," she joked.

"It's called Anime," he said, his pillow over his head, muffling his voice, "and it's an art form."

She just laughed and then pulled on his sheets.

Dean was bare-chested, only wearing a pair of boxers, but Charlie had seen him like this before. She was a frequent guest at the Winchesters, having stayed for countless sleep-overs. Dean had been quite surprised that his father had allowed it. Lisa had never stayed overnight officially; but whenever John had slept at Kate's place, Dean had brought her home. Maybe John felt that Charlie's and Dean's relationship was purely platonic, because he couldn't possibly know that Charlie preferred girls over boys.

Charlie glanced around the room while Dean got dressed and vanished into the bathroom. The walls in Dean's room where painted plain white. He had never bothered to repaint them. He and his brother had shared a room when they were younger, but when he turned twelve, Sam had to move out. He'd come over to his room for a couple nights, though.

Dean had pinned posters of his favorite musicians at the walls. He had bought them at the record store at the mall. He couldn't afford most of the records there, however, so he stuck with his father's tape collection, going mental whenever a tape got caught in the cassette deck. There was also a poster displaying the symbol of _Batman_, his favorite superhero.

In a shelf stood a photo of Dean as a toddler with his mom, a beautiful woman with blonde hair and a genial smile. Next to it stood a large jar containing cash money. Charlie knew that Dean put as much aside as possible so that he could one day buy an electric guitar.

"So, what do you want to do?" Dean asked when he came back into the room.

"Don't know."

"Sam's got a match today," Dean said, "I said I might come."

"Sounds great."

After Dean had breakfast, they drove to school. Dean drove straight past the parking lot down the by-road and parked right beside the entrance to the sports grounds. It was prohibited, but it was a Sunday and nobody _ever_ used that road on a Sunday.

There weren't many people watching, maybe twenty. There was a group of soccer moms chatting happily, completely ignoring their kids' play; a little girl jumping up and down the stone steps and an ambitious dad pacing up and down the field's outline.

Not far from Soccer Moms United sat a boy with ruffled black hair. He sat cross-legged, a khaki trench coat dangling over the chair-back of the orange plastic seat next to him.

"Isn't that this Novak kid?" Dean asked Charlie as they sat down, some yards away from a bored girlfriend checking her phone.

"I guess."

"What's he doing here?"

"Probably meeting Sam, as you banned him from your house," Charlie answered indifferently.

"That bitch!" Dean said.

Charlie rolled her eyes.

It was the second half of the game and so far no one had scored. Every player was annoyed. Both coaches were shouting at their players. The referee, a pimply twenty-something, looked bored. Dean could easily make out Sam between all the other players. He was the tallest, as usual. He was lurking in his team's half.

After five minutes, there was finally some action. One of Sam's teammates had snatched the ball and darted towards the opposing goal posts. The keeper anxiously hopped on his spot. Sam had run forward and was now level with his teammate. The boy passed the ball to him and Sam, striking out, shot. The ball hurtled towards the goal, the keeper jumped, his fingertips brushed the ball, but it was not enough. The ball hit the net behind him. Sam had scored!

"Well done, Winchester!" the coach roared.

Dean and Charlie whooped. "Well done, Sammy!"

Sam turned around and beamed when he spotted his brother. His teammates surrounded him, hugging him and patting his back. For a moment there was nothing to be seen of Sam, there was just a pile of bordeaux jerseys and golden shorts.

The opposing team didn't look happy. The keeper yelled at his defense and the coach scolded them simultaneously.

"How could you possibly overlook the fucking giant?!" he clamored.

"Don't insult my brother because your players are losers, jackass!" Dean called and the coach gave him the finger, without turning around.

Dean leapt up, fists clenched.

"Calm down!" Charlie commanded, dragging him down.

From that moment on, the game become more and more abrasive. Their opponents were angry and not willing to lose. The referee didn't look bored anymore, rather worried. He didn't even bother to put the Yellow Card back into his front pocket.

Some of the players' faces were distorted from pure hatred. Once again Castiel congratulated himself on not signing up for any sport team. He silently admired Sam for not flipping when an opponent pulled at his jersey. They seemed to zero in on him now for having scored the goal.

Dean however didn't remain silent when his brother was being fouled. Castiel had immediately recognized the older boy when he had shown up. He had seen him sitting close to Sam during lunchtime. If Sam hadn't mentioned that his elder brother would come, he'd never thought that this was Dean. The two brothers didn't look alike at all. Sam was taller, his hair darker, with eyes like a puppy. Although Dean was about a head shorter, you could tell from his face that he was older. He wore an oversized bay-colored leather jacket and a worn out pair of jeans; his sandy blonde hair was spikey. He frowned as he shouted abuse at the referee for not punishing a foul on his brother. There was no other way of describing him: he looked _totally badass_.

Castiel blushed at this thought. Did he just think that his new friend's brother was hot? Great.

As the match continued Castiel caught himself glancing over to Dean quite frequently. He was just noticing the cowboy boots he was wearing. They would look totally silly on everyone else, but damn, on him they looked cool. He was sprawled nonchalantly on his chair. His hands dug deep into his jacket's pockets.

Castiel was so immersed in his observation that the outcry of pain followed by the shrill noise of a whistle took him by surprise.

He focused on the field again, only to see Sam lying on the grass, an expression of pain on his face.

"Sammy!" Dean cried.

He and the red haired girl hurried unto the field. Castiel stood up too, not sure if their newly tied bond required or allowed this. He slowly made his way down to the field. Some other players had grouped around Sam. They lifted him up. Dean supported him. They were on their way to the first row of the seats, when Castiel joined them.

"You okay?" he asked, feeling like he had to say something.

"Don't know."

Dean placed his brother on a seat, Castiel and the girl sat down on each side of him. Dean knelt before him.

"I'll have a look on your leg, okay?"

Sam nodded feebly. Dean untied his shoelaces, removed his dirty cleats and then gingerly stripped off his brother's sock. He removed the shin guard.

"Can you move your leg?" Dean asked; his voice was soft.

There was an expression of worry on his face. Castiel thought it made him look younger. He had perfectly green eyes and _freckles_. His lips looked like they were made for kissing, pink and luscious. _Breathe, Castiel_.

Sam bent and stretched his leg slowly. There were tiny bruise marks at the back of his lower leg, were the other player had hit him with his shoes.

"Ouch," the girl commented.

"That fucker will have to answer to me," Dean barked, frowning. "Which one was it? The one with number two?"

"Dean, don't talk crap! Calm down, will you?" Sam said pleadingly.

He glanced over to Castiel, looking embarrassed. Castiel tried to signalize him that there was nothing to be embarrassed for, but he strongly suspected that the nervous twitch of his mouth was hard to interpret.

The match went on.

"Do you want to wait for the end or shall we go now?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged.

"It's only ten minutes left," he said, "But I have to tell Coach Gordon I'm going."

"I'll do that," the girl said, "You go to the car."

She went to speak to the coach.

"My stuff's over there," Sam explained, pointing towards a sports bag.

"Can you – what was your name again?"

It was the first time that Dean addressed him and also the first time he had really looked at him. His bright green eyes were piercing.

"It's… it's Castiel," he stammered.

"Could you fetch the bag, Cas, while I transfer my little brother here to the car?"

"Sure," Castiel replied hastily.

He sprung to his feet, hurried over to the players' bags and grabbed Sam's. _Cas_. He had called him _Cas_. He silently accompanied them to the car – a shiny black Chevy Impala. Castiel knew the type. His father had once owned one, too. The ginger girl opened the back door and they maneuvered Sam onto the seat.

He was already complaining, saying he was 'all fine'.

Dean was about to disappear in the car, when he paused.

"Can I give you a lift, Cas?" he asked.

"Um, no, thank you, I've come by bike."

"I see."

"See ya, Castiel," Sam called and then they sat off.

Castiel looked after them until the car hit the crossroad and turned right. He blinked. His fingers were trembling lightly when he opened his bike lock. He placed his trench coat under the carrier and mounted his bike.

He smiled all the way home; one word fleeting through his mind. The word was _Dean_.

**Uh, yes, soccer. How I miss getting up early on weekends, running trough the fresh air, getting knocked down by THE ENEMY... Girls playing soccer is not nice, let me tell ya.**

**Anyway, I hate describing sportsy events. Ever tried to write a Quidditch scene? Don't. Okay, sorrow for my whining, I actually enjoyed writing this chapter. The next follows suite.**

**A great hurra for everyone who has sticked with this story up to this point. Your are the best and I hereby send you all a mighty slice of virtual chocolate cake. **


	6. angel heaven

**Sorry, this one's really short. I put made it an idividual chapter because it's a brand new day and a new scene and the last chapter was so long.**

**Please be so kind a review. It means a lot lot to me, you know? Make me day!**

When Castiel woke up the next morning, he got up in a hurry to gain more time to get ready for school. He yawned wildly. It had taken him quite some time to fall asleep. Two eyes, green as those of a cat, had kept him awake. His dreams were steeped in a gravelly voice whispering _Cas_.

He stood in front of his wardrobe-shelves, which shirt would make him look best. He was absolutely clueless, but he figured in the end that it probably wouldn't make any difference anyway. He settled for a simple dark gray one.

His reflection in the mirror looked back at him with tired eyes. He searched the shelf for hair wax, scanning through his brother's countless beauty products. Castiel was fascinated – he'd always assumed that his brother didn't even brush his hair. But no, there were three different types of shampoo ("Angel heaven", "Chocolate dreamz" and "Perfect Hair: Men"), conditioner, moisturizer and several other little bottles and tubes.

He finally found what he desired. He put a bit of wax on his fingertips and ran them through his dark hair, ruffling it.

"You really don't need to do that," Gabriel commented, standing in the doorway, "You always look like you've just come out of a storm."

Castiel was tempted to stick his tongue out at him.

He didn't have to wait a long time for the school bus. There weren't many people in it yet. There were seven stops before it arrived at school. The bus ride took approximately fifteen minutes. Today there was only a middle school student and a redhead sitting in it when he entered.

At first he thought it was Dean's companion, but then this girl had no bangs. She also wore a light colored blouse instead of a _Harry Potter_ fan shirt. Still, there was something familiar about her. Was she in one of his courses? He tried to remember. When he was only two rows away from her, she looked up. Greenish brown eyes scanned his face. He knew those eyes. The widened with recognition.

"Cassie?" she called.

"Anna?" he asked hesitantly.

Could it really be Anna, his childhood friend?

"Cassie!"

She jumped up and hurried over, folding her arms around him, squeezing him.

"Castiel Novak," she said finally, "what a surprise."

She let go of him and gestured him to take the seat next to her.

"What _on earth_ care you doing here?" she asked.

"Taking the bus to school, I suppose," he replied with a grin.

She rolled her eyes.

"I can see that. I mean why are you here? In this town? Going to school? That."

"I moved back."

"When?"

And so he filled her in on the latest events. He asked why he hadn't seen her at school. She told him that she had been at home with a fever the past two weeks.

"You have to come visit me, Amy and Richard will be _delighted_ to see you."

"Who are Amy and Richard?" Castiel asked confused.

"My parents, silly," she said jolly but then she became silent.

She stared outside the window, her look blank. She fidgeted absentminded with the latches of her school bag.

"What's the matter?" Castiel asked.

"It's… Some time ago I found out I was adopted. It was kind of a shock, as you can imagine…"

Castiel simply nodded. He thought of the Miltons, but their faces were but a mere blur in his memory. He hadn't seen him for at least ten years. Anna had been his closest childhood friend. Their mothers had been acquainted. Anna was two years older but they had been the bestest of friends. After the Novaks had moved away, they had visited each other a couple times, but time and distance had torn them apart.

"So, did you make any friends yet?" Anna asked, clearly eager to change the subject.

"Yeah, maybe. I've got some courses together with a Sam Winchester. I don't know whether-"

"I know him. He's nice. His brother, _Dean_," she stressed the word, sounding, what? Annoyed?, "is in my biology class. We, uh, we studied anatomy together, if you know what I mean."

She winked.

"You did? Mhm."

Castiel was unsure how to respond to that. There he was, sitting on the bus with the girl he had played house with, and she had just told him that she had had a thing with his brand new crush. If that was indeed what she had been implying. And what exactly did she imply? Making out? Sex? A picture of two people flashed before his eyes, bodies entangled, red hair obscuring their faces. He quickly shoved the mental image aside. His face was suddenly hot. Was he blushing out of embarrassment or rather because he felt… could it be jealousy? That would be absurd! He'd only laid eyes on him yesterday, could he be lost already? It suggested itself that Dean, the hot boy he was, had to be rather popular.

"But that was_ ages_ ago and only once. I mean he probably doesn't even remember it."

Okay, apparently _really_ _popular_. Castiel didn't say anything. Anna laughed somewhat nervously.

"Sorry, Cassie. Anyway, I'm glad you made some friends."

The bus stopped in front of their school and they exited, filing behind a bunch of other tired looking, grumpy students. Anna put an arm around his shoulders while they walked up to the building.

"You being here again is just super awesome, you know," she cheered, "Let's meet up during the first break. See you in front of the janitor's office, okay?"


	7. A slut

**This is kinda a lot about Anna. I've changed a detail in the previous chapter - it's not two years ago that Anna found out she's adopted but it was a lot more recently, but you'll see.**

**Thanks for the follows and favs, guys. I've seen that some people seem to have skipped some chapters. What going on there? One does not simply skip Chapter 5 ;)**

**Would you like to play a game? Today we're playing "Spot the 'Back to the future' reference". Have fun.**

The classmates waiting in front of the classroom eyed Anna and Castiel curiously. When she left him, two girls started to whisper. Castiel thought it was odd but he decided to ignore it. Sam soon joined him.

"How are you?" he asked the tall boy.

"I'm okay. My leg's fine as long as no one touches it."

In history class they had to work in groups that day. Becky shot Sam a hopeful look, but Ms. Raphael enumerated them, so they didn't get to be in one group. Castiel and Sam were separated due to that, too. Castiel had to team up with a not-yet-awake metal fan whose long hair was hiding his face, the smartphone girl and one of the girls that had been whispering pre-class.

While he was reading the text they had been given, she addressed him in an undertone.

"If I were you I wouldn't mix with Anna Milton."

"Why not?" Castiel asked coolly, not looking up from the text.

"Well," she said, brushing her auburn hair out of her face, "You probably don't know because you're new but Anna is…"

She paused, apparently trying to create an aura of suspense. Castiel lifted his eyebrows.

"… she's a slut."

"I know Anna and I like her," Castiel affirmed.

_Why do people always think they need to give you advice even if you didn't ask them?_ Castiel thought. He didn't care whether Anna had a lot of sex (or whatever you had to do on this school to be considered a slut) – why would he? If she enjoyed it, hell yeah, she should embrace it!

Dean and Charlie sat at their usual spot in the cafeteria. Charlie halfheartedly picked at her food with her fork. She was miserable. She had forgotten to take her own lunch to school and had to resort to the school grub.

"I hate school. I wanna go home," she grumbled, "I hate this food. I just wanna sleep."

"What's the matter with you today? How come you hate food now?"

"Oh, I'm just fucking tired, sexually frustrated, bored to death, surrounded by blockheaded bitches…"

"Ooh. You really have a bad day."

"Yeah. And it's not a _lady thing_, okay?"

"How come you're sexually frustrated?" Dean asked with a grin.

Charlie observed her distorted reflection in her spoon.

"Have you seen those new promo pictures of Scarlet Johansson? How come _you_ are not sexually frustrated?"

At this moment Sam entered the cafeteria, accompanied by Castiel and Anna. They headed towards their table.

"Dude, is _Castiel Novak_ holding hands with _Anna Milton_?" Dean said in disbelief.

Charlie picked up her colorful spectacles that had been lying next to her plate and put them on her nose. She inspected the trio on the other side of the room.

"Yes, Castiel Novak is definitely holding hands with Anna Milton," she confirmed.

"Wow," Dean said with a whistle, being impressed, "I thought the guy just moved here."

"Well, he's a handsome fellow…" Charlie stated.

"He is?" Dean replied, looking at the dark haired boy.

"Dean, it is really time for you to see an eye specialist; how many times do I have to tell you?"

"No, I mean _you_ think _he_ is handsome?"

"Yes, to a certain degree."

"But you're gay!"

"I am but that doesn't mean I can't a guy esthetically pleasant. I'm gay not blind. Don't fuck with me, Dean, you can't tell me you don't think some guys are good-looking."

Dean still had his eyes fixed Castiel. Sam was just vividly telling him a story. He was very attentive and nodded frequently to show he was listening. His black hair was ruffled wildly. He might look a little bit peaky in his gray shirt, but it displayed his slim yet not unappealing build perfectly. Dean had to admit to himself that he, too, thought him to be rather handsome and cute with his large eyes and concentrated expression.

"I guess you're right," he sighed.

"Dean likes a boy, Dean likes a boy," Charlie mocked him with singsong voice.

"Shut up," he hissed and gave her a kick under the table, "I still don't trust him."

"Oh come one, Dean, don't be so… I don't know. To me he seems like a decent guy."

"If he ever hurts Sammy…" Dean said, not ending his sentence.

"He probably won't. Just try to be nice for a nanosecond," Charlie asked him.

She was massaging her temples.

"I'm always nice."

"Yes, Dean, you're awesome," she replied with her eyes closed, her words drenched in sarcasm.

The procession arrived. Anna was still clutching Castiel's hand. He seemed to be quite comfortable with that. He'd thought that Cas was rather one of the nervous sort. Apparently he was wrong.

"I hope it's okay if I sit with you guys," Anna said with a quick look into Dean's direction.

"Yeah, sure," Dean replied also not looking into her eyes.

"Of course you can sit with us," Sam told her, "it's not like there's some exclusive club."

Anna gave him a meek smile. She sat down between Sam and Castiel, who were producing their lunch packs from their school bags.

"Hey, Cas," Dean said with a smile.

_See that, Charlie, I'm being _nice, Dean thought.

"Hello, Dean," the boy answered with a pleasant, deep voice he hadn't fully noticed the day before. It gave him the chills.

Cas seemed surprised to be addressed by Dean and looked at him as if he was expecting him to say something else. Now that there was only the table between them, Dean noticed that Castiel's eyes were of a dark shade of blue. He looked like a curious puppy or maybe a kitten.

Dean cleared his throat.

"So, erm, did you come home alright yesterday?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Where do you live then?" Dean asked, trying not to sound too much like a creeper.

"I live with my brother just a couple blocks away from Twin Pines Mall."

Dean nodded. _Say something interesting_, he thought, but there was nothing coming to his mind.

He finished his meal trying not to look at Anna.

Anna and Dean hadn't talked to each other in a while. They'd never been close friends; they had had a 'thing', though. It had been on the winter ball in their freshman year. Anna had looked absolutely amazing in a pale rose tulle dress. She had been standing next to the buffet, a crumb from the chocolate cake she'd been eating in the corner of her mouth. He'd just finished his slice of pie when she had spoken to him. "You wanna dance or something?" she had asked. Although Dean didn't like dancing so much, he had agreed. After a while he hadn't felt stupid anymore. He hadn't been talented exactly but very enthusiastic. The two of them had danced until their cheeks were hot and rosy. They had gone out in the cold air, first to cool down, then to make out. They had eventually ended up in the back of Dean's Impala, getting to 'third base'. It had been Dean's first time.

They hadn't had sex because they'd been in love. They rather did it because of fun and because they were curious and excited. It had been weird afterwards; none of them knew whether they wanted to be in a relationship with each other. They tried for a week but it didn't feel right. They split up.

When Anna's parents had told her they had adopted her, she was out of her mind. She retreated from company, she was often absent from school and rumors said she spent her afternoons in therapy. Anna had been a cheerful girl before, making friends easily. From what Dean had heard he hadn't been her latest conquest. Anna was to be seen drinking a lot on parties. On one of these occasions she had found herself facing Dean. Dean had just broken up with Lisa. He, too, was emotionally rather unstable. They had searched comfort in each other; had kissed and caressed each other, but it wasn't what they were looking for.

They had been especially awkward afterwards. They never talked. Dean felt vulnerable in her

presence, as if he was naked again.

She looked better these days, almost the same as she did two years ago on that day to

remember. He was happy that she was happy.

"So, did you guys know each other?" Dean asked, trying to sound as casually as possible.


	8. Don't have sex You will get pregnant

**Sorry that it took me so long! Whenever I was sitting down to write, I got distracted. When I had finally wrote it all down, it wasn't good enough. I've been editing a bit, I hope the result is okay. This chapter is a bit more angsty (yey, teenage!). **

The next day Crowley caught up with Dean after Chemistry. The Scottish boy had a smug grin on his face that Dean didn't like at all. He increased his pace, but Crowley wasn't that easy to escape.

"Hey, Winchester," he called and gripped the shoulder strap of Dean's schoolbag, holding him back.

"What is it, _Fergus_?" Dean snapped, turning around.

Crowley squinted at the mention of his given name.

"Just had a little encounter with Lisa Braeden. Pretty obvious now that she has a bun in the oven now, innit?"

"So?" Dean replied, snatching the strap away from Crowley's hands.

"I thought I'd come congratulate the young father…" He smirked.

"I don't know what you mean," Dean said as firm as possible.

He turned around, trying to walk away.

"So it's not yours then? You weren't the only one? Ooh, that _whore_…"

Crowley giggled. Dean stopped in his tracks.

"Come again?"

"A whore is a whore, is a whore, is a whore…" Crowley sang.

Dean was with him again with light speed. He shoved his classmate roughly against the blue lockers, tugging at the front of his shirt.

"You shut your big fat mouth," he hissed.

Their faces were only inches apart. To Dean's big disappointment Crowley was still grinning.

"How intimidating," he said in an amused voice, "Seems like I hit a sore spot. If you'd excuse me now, I've got some business to do."

He pressed the joints of Dean's thumb together, so that Dean yelped in pain and immediately let go of him.

Dean looked after him, fists clenched. God, he hated him.

"Dean, good you're here," John said, as soon had entered the house, "We're going out for dinner."

"What?!" Dean exclaimed.

"You heard me. We leave in ten minutes."

"But there's… there's something on TV I wanted to watch!" he protested.

He had nearly said _Doctor Sexy_. His father didn't know about his obsession with that ridiculously cliché hospital show. John wasn't one for much television. He'd introduced his son's to some of the classics. Sometimes he would watch old westerns when they were shown late. One could he the lousy shot sound effects in Dean's room. When Dean was younger, he had sneaked downstairs past bedtime, telling his father that he had troubles to fall asleep so that he could watch some of it. Playing Sheriff had been his favorite game. His leather boots however were a more recent purchase. He would never admit it, but he'd been inspired to buy them because of said medical drama. Wearing cowboy boots immediately gave you an air of authority – or an air of someone who doesn't mind being laughed at.

"This is family business. Is watching TV more important to you than your family?" John asked, his voice menacing.

But Dean didn't answer his father's question. He was pissed. He had looked forward to chill on the couch and had been eager for his weekly 'guilty pleasure'. His day had been shitty, thanks to Crowley and his math teacher's ambition of ruining his life. Couldn't his father tell him earlier what he had planned?

"We could stay in. We could make pizza. Or order something," he suggested hopefully.

"We are meeting with Kate. There is something important we need to discuss. Grab yourself a fresh t-shirt, tell Sam we're going and for heaven's sake put on some other shoes!"

Dean looked down on his pointed leather boots and proceeded to scowl at his father.

Dean sat in the back, still sulking when Kate entered the car. She had put on some makeup and wore a nice dress. Dean faintly wondered what kind of occasion justified this dressing up. John was wearing a white dress shirt, too. What were they going to discuss? Oh god, what if they were going to announce their engagement? Dean sighed. He didn't want a stepmother. He was fine with them being just three. Sam seemed just as baffled as he was. When Dean had asked him what he was thinking, he just shrugged.

They parked in front of an Asian restaurant. It was no diner but a proper restaurant. It was almost fancy! John circled the car to open Kate's door like the gentleman he wasn't. He always showed manners when she was around but this was on a whole new level.

Once they had settled down, John and Kate on one side of the table, the brothers on the other side, there was awkward silence. Kate smiled at them, took John's hand.

Dean cleared his throat and busied himself with studying the menu. Lisa had liked holding his hand, too. He had liked the soft feeling of her thumb stroking the back of his hand. He hadn't liked to hold hands in public however. She had been slightly offended by that. They even had an argument about it, once. She had asked him whether he was ashamed of being with her. He had been hurt that she could possibly think something like that. He'd never felt about anyone the way he had felt about Lisa. Dean didn't know why the hand-holding had made him that uncomfortable. Maybe it was because his father hadn't been with someone for a long time and he hadn't witnessed him showing affection. John had problems with it – Dean sometimes wondered if it was because of their mother's death or if it simply was a character trait of his.

But having a girlfriend made his father somehow less gruff. His eyes went soft when he looked at her like he did now.

They had ordered their food and John leaned onto his arms.

"There is something we, Kate and I, want to tell you," he began.

Kate smiled. Did she ever do something else? It was one of the reasons that Dean didn't like her very much. Maybe it was because of her profession – she worked in a hospital – but Dean found it even a little bit scary. How could you smile when the world was going down the plughole?

"Your father and I are now together for quite a long time," she interjected.

Dean sighed. He had known it. They were getting married. Would they ask him to scatter petals?

"Kate's moving in with us," John said, "because you're going to have a sibling."

Dean and Sam exchanged looks. Sam seemed surprised. Dean wasn't sure how to describe what he was feeling. It hadn't been what he was expecting at all. Why didn't he think of it? Kate was 39. Younger than his father. Why did he presume that she didn't want children? He looked at Kate who didn't look pregnant at all but, well, who knew how long she was? When it showed differed from woman to woman, Dean knew that from his recent researches.

"I know that's probably quite a surprise for you," John said without knowing how right he was, but Dean wasn't listening.

An image had formed in his head – he knew it was ridiculous because Lisa was way ahead of Kate – but he pictured himself and his father on a hospital corridor (the one from _Doctor Sexy_), hearing the muffled crying of babies and then two nurses came out of two rooms, each carrying a baby in their arms.

"Congratulations, Mr Winchester, you've just become father," they said simultaneously.

How on _earth_ was he going to tell his father that he'd become a grandfather, too? Would he be mad and call him a reckless fool? Would he play the disappointed parent card? Or would he be even understanding? Dean doubted it sincerely.

While the boys had grown up to be pretty independent, it was responsibility that John had been expecting of them. They had learnt to take care of themselves. He had fucked up. He had fucked up completely. And again for the millionth time he asked himself when it had happened. He asked himself what he had done wrong and he asked himself _why me_?

He'd love to cry. To storm to the restrooms, shut the door behind him and cry. But he didn't, he couldn't. He focused on keeping his expression neutral. Kate and John were looking at them expectantly. Surely they wanted to hear something from them. He glanced over to his brother who was fumbling for words as well.

"That's, uh, great," he stammered and then actually stretched out his hand and said, "Welcome to the family, Kate."

Dean felt sick.

As soon as he was home he darted up to his room and slammed the door. He had barely touched his food, but he didn't feel hungry at all. He impatiently waited for his laptop to start.

He sighed in relief when he saw that Charlie was online.

_GothamCity: _charlie?

He typed. It took some time before a reply appeared on his screen.

_CharlieGranger: _What's up?

_GothamCity: _just having a nervous breakdown

_CharlieGranger: _What happened?!

_GothamCity: _kate is pregnant too

_CharlieGranger: _U haven't been naughty again, have u?

_GothamCity: _HA HA not funny! Now how am i supposed to tell dad he's becoming father & grandfather?

_CharlieGranger: _So u've talked to Lisa?

_GothamCity: _no

_CharlieGranger: _How do u know then?

_CharlieGranger: _Don't panic, Dean, OK?

_GothamCity: _i try

_CharlieGranger: _You talk to her first thing tomorrow. Then we'll decide what to do, deal?

_GothamCity: _ok

_CharlieGranger: _How do you feel about getting another sibling?

_GothamCity: _dont know really

How was he supposed to feel? Did he want another sibling? He hadn't thought about what it really meant. All his thoughts had circulated on how this situation was weird and complicated and how he was going to manage it all. But if, yes, he had to remind himself again, it was still a big IF, he should become brother and father now, it would mean that there were two real, little human beings. Cute, defenseless, needy, pooping, crying, little human beings.

But having a baby brother or sister was something completely different to having a child of one's own. Kate and John would take care of it. With the baby… he would be responsible. Or wouldn't he? Had Lisa remained silent for the whole time because she didn't want him to have contact? Did he want contact?

He pressed his face into his pillow, soaking in the familiar smell. A little sob escaped his lips.

**So another chapter finished - I hope Dean will get his shit together soon. Oh, wait, right, I'm the author, I decide what's happening. Erm, well, Dean will probably finally talk to Lisa soon. There will be some more from Cas' POV soon.**

**And now ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon, please leave some reviews! See you soon.**


	9. All hail Santa

**I'm not sure what this chapter is about. I just wanted to write it. **

"I still can't believe you persuaded me to come with you," Gabriel sighed when he parked his shabby car in front of the Novaks' neatly mowed lawn.

Castiel chuckled. He anteceded, Gabriel followed, a cheap flower bouquet they had purchased at the gas station in his hands. Castiel rang. The door was opened almost immediately.

"Castiel, Gabriel, how lovely," their aunt Claire greeted them.

She was a short fortyish woman, with large light brown eyes and dark hair like Castiel's. She was wearing a jade twinset.

Gabriel handed the flower bouquet over.

"Thank you! Please, come in!"

They followed her into the house. Castiel looked about. It had been ages ago since he had seen the place. Their latest family meetings had taken place at their house. The nineties interior looked vaguely familiar. There were photos of Michael und Luc as toddlers on the sandy-colored wall. Michael stood at the bottom of the stairs. He grinned at them and shook their hands.

He and his mother led them into the living room. Luc was sprawled on the couch, muffled metal music coming from his headphones.

"Luc, our guests are here," Claire said and snatched off the headphones.

"Mom!" he protested.

She ignored him.

"I'm just going to get a vase for this," she told the brothers, "Why don't you sit down, while we set the table?"

"We'll hel-," Castiel began, but Gabriel dragged him down on the sofa. "Yes, why not."

When the table was set, they all gathered around. Their uncle Zachariah had joined them. It was him who said grace. Castiel felt awkward. His aunt's hands felt cold and weak. When Zachariah had finished, they all said "Amen", Gabriel with in a rather annoyed tone.

"Yes, thanks, God, for all the war and hunger and misery on this Earth. Maybe you should pay Satan a visit; he could teach you how to treat people in a decent way."

"Luc!" Claire exclaimed indignantly, "That's no desert for you."

"Fine," he snapped.

"Don't talk like that to your mother," Zachariah said menacingly.

"Like what?"

"That's it. Go to your room."

Luc let his cutlery drop on his yet empty plate. He shoved back his chair, squeaking on the polished flagging. He slammed the door shut behind him and they could he him galumph all the way up to his rum. Another door was shut, then there was silence. Castiel dared not to look into his aunt's and uncle's eyes. Claire proceeded to put food on their plates. They ate in silence. It didn't taste bad, but Castiel's appetite was spoilt. He barely touched his desert, a chocolate cream.

"So, how's school going?" Zachariah questioned when Castiel had put down his spoon.

"Good," Castiel answered timidly.

Like his father his aunt (who was his father's sister) and his uncle always made him feel small.

"Did you join any clubs?" Claire asked in a sweet voice.

"No."

"You could always join the mathletes, like Michael," she suggested.

"He doesn't want, mom," Michael informed her.

"Oh, but why?"

Castiel shrugged.

"Castiel isn't much into extracurricular activities," Gabriel said with a grin, "He prefers to spend the whole day on the couch watching DVDs."

Castiel shot him an angry look. That was the revenge for forcing him to come with him.

They soon inquired how college was.

"Castiel, darling, why don't you go upstairs and tell Luc he may come down."

Castiel knocked on what he believed was Luc's room.

"Fuck off," was the reply.

"Erm, it's Castiel," he replied uneasy, "Claire says you may come down."

"Come on in!"

"What?"

"Come on in," Luc repeated, "I want to have a word with you."

Castiel slowly opened the door. Luc's room was smaller than he remembered. The walls had the same sick color than the hall. There were no pictures or posters (Castiel strongly suspected that he hadn't been allowed to put up any), but Luc had written all kinds of things on them with a black sharpie. _ALL HAIL SANTA_ it said above the head of his bed. Castiel fleetly wondered whether it was a mistake or whether Luc had deliberately transposed the letters. Luc himself sat on the window sill, window wide open. He had a cigarette in his hand and blew smoke into the night.

"You smoking?" he asked.

"Nope," Castiel answered, still awkwardly standing in the doorway.

"Sit down," Luc said, apparently not caring whether his choice of words was polite or not.

Castiel closed the door behind him and sat down on the white sheets of Luc's bed. The smell of Luc's cigarette was unpleasant, but Castiel acted as if he didn't mind. He was almost used to the biting sensation in his nose. Back home there had been lots of kids smoking during school breaks.

"So, I've seen you hanging around with Sammy Winchester a lot," he stated.

"Yeah, we've got some classes together," Castiel said, not sure what this was going to be about.

"He's sweet."

Okay, really, what was this about? He looked at his cousin with refreshed curiosity. He was sweet. Sweet like in _gosh, he's so sweet, I luv him 3 _? Was his cousin gay, like himself? Castiel didn't know how to reply, but Luc didn't seem to expect an answer.

"No, really, you can be happy to be his friend. We were once, too. Were on a summer camp together. Bunk buddies…" his voice trailed off.

"But, you know, I've done some shit and well, his brother Dean, _the righteous man_, would kill me if I'd come anywhere close to his precious Sam."

At the mention of Dean Castiel's heart skipped a beat. What the hell was this about?

"He's like an overly protective bulldog. Man, their relationship is weird. He hates me. Thinks I'd be a bad influence or something. I'm actually really surprised he talks with you. Does he know we're related?"

"I… I don't know," Castiel stammered.

"Well, be careful around him."

"Yeah, I will, thanks…" Castiel replied.

Luc stubbed out his cigarette and let it drop out of the window. He shut the window and positioned himself on the bed, a yard between them.

"Someone caught your eye, already?" Luc asked.

Castiel was taken aback – did he jump the subject or did he know?

"Yes."

Castiel didn't know why he told him the truth. He usually lied about that sort of thing. He had always hated things like Truth or Dare. People could be so nosy. You gave them a finger they'd take the whole hand. _Who is it, Castiel? Tell us, is it Selena? Come on! _

"That's nice," Luc said, "I wish you luck with that."

He gave him an encouraging smile. _Yes, good luck with the overly protective bulldog, Castiel_.

"You know, people assume that I'm like a horrible person. Hell, mom and dad think I'm a Satanist. But I'm nice actually. I'm nice. This world just sucks. Anyways, has been good talking to you, Cassidy. Tell mom I'm not coming."

That night, Dean was not the only one who went to bed with a nearly empty stomach. Castiel was not sobbing, though. He lay there on his mattress on the floor, his eyes wide open, although it was dark in the room and he couldn't make out the ceiling. So, Dean Winchester didn't like his cousin. Okay, right. Should that bother him? _Does he know we're related?_ What if he did know? Would he act different around him? How had he acted around him? Rather indifferent, right? Well, at least they had talked yesterday. He had smiled at him. God, that smile. He had these beautiful lips – he wondered what they tasted like, what they would feel like on his. He let his imagination go wild. What would it feel like being pinned against a wall? Having his body pressed against Dean's? When he fell asleep there was a small smile on his face. Having a crush was weird – one moment you were worried to death, the next moment you were indulging yourself in blissful reverie.

**That's it. Again. Sorry. Thanks for reading.**

**(I leave it to your imagination how Cas' body reacted to these reveries ;-) )**

**Please review! I'll update soon, promise.**


	10. Also don't do karaoke

**Sorry for not uploading as quick as usual. Our WiFi hasn't been working. Ugh... This chapter feels a little weird to me. It contains a plot twist but it doesn't feel climax-y at all. I should take writing lessons or something. Anyway, have fun. And may the WiFi be with you. Always.**

Castiel was rocking back and forth on his tiptoes. He stood in front of the school entrance, waiting for Sam (and well, Dean of course) to arrive. He'd seen the Impala enter the parking lot. He had told Anna not to wait for him. He watched the Winchesters on their way towards him. Dean looked right past him, not noticing him at all as they climbed up the stairs. Sam, however, saw him.

"Hi," he greeted him and gave him a casual one-armed hug.

"You coming?" Dean asked impatiently.

"Yeah, sure," Sam said, raising and eyebrow.

Together they entered the building. Dean walked before them and Castiel could only see his leather-clad back. No "Hey, Cas" for him today. God, he hadn't even _looked_ at him!

When they had arrived at the stairs that led to the second story, Dean nodded briefly at them and hurried upstairs. Sam sighed.

"He's acting weird all morning," he said while they walked to their classroom, cleaving through the crowd.

"What do you mean?" Castiel asked, slightly worried.

"He kept his mouth shut all the time," Sam explained and added thoughtfully: "Maybe it's because of last night…"

"Why, what's happened last night?" Castiel asked, even more worried.

_Except from Luc telling me that Dean would hate me if he knew who I was?_ Had he found out yesterday and was ignoring him now? Had he been thinking about him at all?

"My dad and his girlfriend are having a baby," Sam said.

"Oh."

So it had nothing to do with him. Probably. Well, of course it didn't! Their paths had crossed only one and a half week ago and for all he knew he hadn't attracted the Winchester's attention at all. The attraction that he felt towards the muscular, often frowning, sandy-haired and adorably freckled boy was absolutely one-sided. For all he knew Dean was not into boys. For all he knew he was just his little brother's new friend. For all he knew Dean could hate him because his shitty cousin was doing shit. Well, shit.

The next few minutes Sam filled him in on the Winchesters' tragic family history.

"I'm sorry," Castiel said dully when Sam had ended.

"Thanks."

They took their seats in Mr Musgrove's English class. English was one of Castiel's favorite lessons so far. Their topic at the moment was Shakespeare – to most people the mere thought of this topic meant endless torments, but Castiel liked it because it included both linguistic and historical aspects and because they already had it in his old school. He still knew a lot about it – it meant he didn't have to be super attentive, and well, it was easy for him to _shine_. He also liked the teacher (not that way!).

Mr Musgrove was not very strict and so everyone was still chatting happily although he had stood up to start his lesson. He cleared his throat and clapped his hands.

"Silence, everyone, please. In the past few weeks we have learnt about Shakespeare's life and the Elizabethan age in general. Today we will finally read something from the master himself."

There was a collective groaning. Mr Musgrove smiled.

"I know, I know. But, we start with some _easy reading_ before we move on to the heavier stuff. So: Sonnets. Does anyone know what a sonnet is?"

Sam put up his hand, as did some others.

"Yes, Sam?"

"It's a specific kind of poem."

"Very good. Today we will talk about poetry!"

"…that's so gay!" a boy said to his neighbor.

They sniggered. Castiel shook his head slightly. He didn't know whether he should feel sad or angry.

Becky Rosen, the girl from the school magazine, sighed and turned around to them. She hissed in a low voice: "How can a type of text have a sexual orientation?"

The boys grinned thickly.

"It's just an expression, calm yo tits, Becky."

"It's disrespectful against gay people," she said agitated.

"I'm not saying anything against gays, although -" one of them answered, but he was cut off before he could finish his (probably not so homo-friendly) sentence by Mr Musgrove.

"Derek, would you be so kind and pay attention?" he said in his usual firm but patient tone.

Castiel turned around again towards the board. He decided that Becky Rosen was not that annoying after all.

They learnt how a sonnet was constructed and were assigned to look up Shakespeare sonnets and present them in class the next day. Castiel liked the assignment. A perfect excuse to re-watch one of his favorite _Doctor Who _episodes: _The Shakespeare Code_.

When English was over, Sam asked: "What about you? Your family I mean?"

"Well, I've got a brother, Gabriel. I think I mentioned him sometime."

"Yeah, you did," Sam confirmed.

"He's in college, studying _Media and Art_ or something. My parents are getting in divorce, that's why I'm staying with him. My parents are from here and I've got some more family here. Um, I've got two cousins…"

Castiel paused. Could he dare to broach the subject to Sam? There was clearly something about him and Luc that his cousin hadn't told him.

"We're not that close, though. We hadn't seen in ages until now. There's Michael, I've sat with him last week. I don't know whether you know him?"

Castiel carefully watched Sam's reaction. He didn't look particularly angry or anything.

"Yes, I do. Everybody knows the Novaks. Well, Michael and Luc. I know Luc too."

"I know," Castiel replied before he could refrain himself.

"Um, what did he tell you?"

"N-nothing!" Castiel stammered, "He just said that you were in summer camp once."

"That was years ago. Actually between Elementary and Middle school," Sam said with a frown, "We're not really friends now. He was a bit annoying."

"I can imagine," Castiel said and added in a rush: "Does your brother know that he's my cousin?"

"What?!"

"I – er, nevermind."

"He does, as a matter of fact."

There was a dark look on Sam's face that Castiel didn't like at all.

Dean had been mentally preparing himself all morning. Repeating over and over what he wanted to say. When the bell actually rang, he was startled for a moment. He walked out of the classroom in a trance. Where would Lisa be now? Mr Hoffman's room? He followed the stream of students towards the stairs, turning around to see whether Lisa was somewhere behind him. It was just then when he ran into someone. A clutter was to be heard when they person let drop their things.

"Sorry," he said automatically before he realized who it was.

Familiar brown eyes stared into his, a familiar tanned face framed by black curls, a familiar voice saying "It's okay."

"Lisa, hi, I was just – How are you?"

"I'm fine, yeah. Well, considering…"

She pointed at her belly. It looked even more bulbous from up close. She was just so round. Her books and notepad were scattered across the floor. The other people were avoiding them. Lisa was just about to stoop down to collect them.

"Let me," Dean said and pre-empted her.

He handed them back to her and together they took the now empty stairs down.

"How are you?" Lisa asked in return, "I've heard you've been sent to Miss Banks again."

"I'm good," his voice a little hoarse, "Listen, Lis," she smiled when he used her nickname, "There was something I wanted to ask you. Um… Who's… Did I… Am I the father?"

Lisa looked taken aback by this question.

"What? You really thought…? No, Dean, you're not."

Her eyes were full of compassion. Well, at least she didn't seem to think he had embarrassed himself with the question.

He gestured him to sit down and he obeyed.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, pretty sure."

"Um… how?"

"Well…" Lisa started, "I got my period after the last time we did it and I was taking the pill, remember? Did you think you were the father the whole time?"

She took his hand and squeezed it gently.

"So… who's the father then? Do I know him? If it's okay that I ask?"

Lisa looked somewhat embarrassed.

"You don't know him. You know how my family always goes up to Canada for Christmas? I went out with my cousins and their friends on New Year's Eve. I was drunk and we were in this Karaoke bar and there was this guy, Troy. He was like really really cute… I was really drunk."

She didn't look at him but he could see that there were tears glimmering in her eyes.

"Do you think I'm a whore, Dean? For sleeping with him?"

Crowley's words rang in Dean's ears. _A whore is a whore, is a whore, is a whore_…

"No, I don't. You're not, okay?"

She nodded. He put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her. She sniffed once and laughed. Her face was so close. She looked at him almost the same way she had done back then, but not quite. This would have been the moment where they had kissed, normally. And sure enough, there was a little smirk on Lisa's lips and she leaned in and their lips met. Dean didn't pull away. He was surprised. It was only a brief kiss, not deep or passionate or anything. It was a _thank you_, a _I still think you're a good person _and a _good-bye_. Because as soon as their lips departed, Lisa stood up slowly and walked away.

What Dean didn't know was that they had a spectator. Castiel had been on his way to the restroom when he had caught sight of Dean. He was talking to a beautiful, yet obviously pregnant girl. Castiel had intended to just walk on, but then they sat down and they were holding hands. He stood pressed flat against the lockers and peaked around the corner. He couldn't hear what they were talking, but they looked intimate.

So, what did that mean? Was that Dean's girlfriend? Was she having his baby? He thought their stepmom was having a baby. Had he misunderstood Sam? No, he surely hadn't.

He looked at the two of them, a sick feeling creeping up his stomach. Jealousy. So, Dean had a girlfriend. His chances were zilch! He shouldn't feel jealous. It was not like he had any claim at Dean and it was not like he wanted to carry the Winchester's child to term. It was just that he wished that it was him who sat there next to him. Especially, when they kissed.

Dean didn't sit with them at lunch. Castiel saw him go out with Charlie. The black-haired girl was not with him. He could see her sit with a couple of girls in the cafeteria.

"Does your brother have a girlfriend?" Castiel asked, trying again to sound as casual as possible, "I've seen him with this black-haired girl, the pregnant one."

"Lisa?" Sam asked, putting his fork down, "But they haven't been talking for ages!"

"She's not his girlfriend, then?"

"Ex."

"They've been kissing," Castiel said not sure if it was okay to tell Sam about it.

Maybe it was a secret.

"Well, that's new," Sam replied and then his face became pale with sudden realization; "Oh my god, what if…? Shit. Holy shit."

"What's the matter?" Castiel asked innocently.

"Um, nothing. I'm just a little surprised, that's all."

Castiel didn't believe a word, but what was he to say?

**Hope you liked it. As you could see, I'm also a Whovian. And I like Shakespeare - a bit. Mostly in theory, though. I don't know much of him. I also like Becky a lot. I mean I don't know whether I liked her if she were real (was real? English grammar kills me). But I think as a slash-shipper she would probably get as mad as we do whenever anyone abuses the word "gay". I know a lot of people who do and I would like to tattoo the lyrics of Macklemore's "Same love" onto their forheads, each time. Angry equalist rage over. Have a nice day/night/life. xx**


	11. A predator and the promise of pizza

**I had written most of the chapter days ago but then our WiFi was making trouble again and I couldn't write on and it was all horrible and it's not over yet. But I'm finally able to upload as you can see. So in this chapter stuff is happening and that stuff will finally lead to some other stuff. Yeah, great description, but I don't want to spoil anything. I hope you'll like it. I'd be very happy to read some reviews. So! Please! Write! Some! Thank you. You're awesome.**

Cas was sitting at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the school entrance. It was late. Most students were already inside. He checked the time again. Maybe they wouldn't come today… His eyes lingered on the school entrance.

He'd just gotten up, when the black Impala finally drove through the gate. The Winchesters parked in one of the few spaces left. The doors were opened. Dean slammed his shut with a thud. He marched up to the school. At first Castiel thought he was just hurrying to come in time, but then he realized that even Sam with his long legs had problems to keep up. Also Dean had his fists clenched. "Dean!" Sam shouted after him, "Wait!"

But Dean didn't slow down. His look was focused on the entrance. Or wasn't it? With a shock Castiel realized that Dean was glaring at _him_ and that it was _him_ he was heading to. He looked frightening, like a wild animal, a beast – a puma perhaps. Castiel stepped back to avoid him.

"You know who spies on people, Cas?" Dean growled.

He grabbed the front of Castiel's trench coat. His face was close, but not in a way that Castiel could appreciate in any way. He couldn't breathe. This wasn't the first time he was in a situation like this. It didn't matter whether he answered or not. It didn't matter whether he stood still or whether he tried to evade Dean's grip. Although they were nearly the same height, Dean was brawnier. There was no escape. The fury in his eyes made them look darker.

Dean coarsely pushed him backwards. Castiel's heels hit the first step and he tumbled. He landed on his derriere, his hands scraping over the craggy stone steps.

"Spies!" Dean answered his own question.

He was towering over Castiel, hands on his hips. With his torn-up jeans, his shoes and his legs wide apart he looked more like a cowboy than ever before. There was a look of disgust on his face.

"Ever heard of something called _privacy_? You don't sneak around and spy on people. You just don't. You know I really thought you were okay. Turns out you're just a creepy fucker like Luc. Should've known."

Sam had reached them know. He was panting slightly from chasing his brother.

"Dean, god dammit!" Sam cursed.

"You shut your mouth!" Dean cut him short.

He spit next to Castiel and left.

"Cas, are you okay?" Sam asked worried.

"Yeah, I- I guess," Cas stammered.

He rose slowly, his back hurting. As soon as he was standing again, he looked at his hands. The skin of the palms was scratched and dirty. It hurt like hell.

"I'm sorry," Sam said. "One day I'm gonna kill him."

Sam opened the door for Cas. Cas remained silent while Sam was complaining about his brother and how he was a jerk. Castiel tried to make sense to what just happened. Yes, he had 'spied' on Dean but that didn't justify such an attack. It was not like he had caught him on doing something illegal. If he was a _creepy fucker_ what was Dean then? A extremely sensitive ticking bomb or what?

Castiel was so deep in thought that he didn't realize that they weren't going to their classroom until they stood right in front of the school nurse's office.

"What are we doing here?" Castiel asked.

"You need bandages or something," Sam said with a shrug and knocked.

When they arrived ten minutes later in Mr Musgrove's class, there was already someone reciting a sonnet. The girl paused mid-verse when they entered.

"Sorry, we're late," said Sam.

"And what is the reason for your collective late-coming?" Mr Musgrove asked, a brow raised.

Sam pointed at Castiel's bandages.

"I fell," Castiel explained weakly.

As much as Castiel was engaged in his dark thoughts about Dean, he didn't fail to notice that when Sam stood up to read his sonnet, he looked at one girl in particular. Her name was Ruby. She was sitting in the back, seemingly totally ignorant at the attention. She had sleek dark brown hair and round eyes and expressive eye-brows (current expression: annoyance).

During the second period Sam and Castiel had time to talk.

"What was that about?" Castiel asked in a low voice.

"Dean's pissed because you told me you saw him with Lisa," Sam began.

"Why's that so bad?"

"I… I asked him some questions, because I was curious. He didn't like me being nosy."

Castiel still looked puzzled. And Sam sighed.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you anymore, I don't want to get you in more trouble."

Sam's solidarity felt good. Castiel felt a little guilty that he had caused the brothers to fight, but he told himself that it was all Dean's fault. Dean and Charlie were not sitting with them at lunch. Cas had caught a glimpse on the two when they left the building. They were in a hot discussion.

Anna sat with a bunch of classmates nearby, but as they were seeing each other after school, he didn't want to disturb her now.

The school day was a long haul but eventually it was over. Cas met Anna in front of her classroom. Together they set off. Soon Anna took his hand as it was her fashion.

"What is this?" she asked, when her fingers had brushed the bandage.

Castiel told her the story. He didn't tell her with whom he had seen Dean, though. He wouldn't take the risk. When Cas had finished his story, Anna gave him a comforting hug.

"I know that Dean can be a little short-tempered from time to time, but this… it's not like him. I mean, yes, it is like him, just multiplied with ten."

The afternoon at the Miltons' was nice. Mr and Mrs Milton were welcoming heartily. Mrs Milton even hugged him.

"You've grown handsome!" she exclaimed, "And you've become so tall!"

"Amy, please!" Anna uttered annoyed and Castiel blushed in embarrassment.

Mrs Milton handed them a plate with several slices of her famous chocolate cake and with a bottle of coke they went up to Anna's room. It was spacious, with a bed plastered with pillows and cushions in one corner, an old wardrobe in another. The walls were painted in pale pink. There were chunks of paper scattered over it. Castiel assumed that there had been pictures that Anna had ripped off the walls.

"I've found something," Anna said.

She picked up a video tape from the nightstand.

"It's my eighth birthday."

Watching himself, Anna and five other very cute children playing in the garden, all dressed in colorful nineties clothing, drove Dean from Castiel's mind. Anna and Castiel were lying on Anna's bed. Anna was snuggled up to Cas. He didn't mind per se; her warm body was comforting. Castiel wondered however if it was appropriate for platonic friends and whether Anna might want more than to be just friends and holding hands with him and all that was her sending signals.

"You know most guys would have started groping by now," Anna whispered in his ear.

"Um, do you want me to _grope_ you?" Castiel inquired.

"No, not necessarily."

"Good," Castiel said with a sigh of relief, "because I really like you, but I'm gay."

Anna lifted her head to get a better look at his face.

"Gay, huh?" She poked him playfully in the side.

He suppressed a giggle. He was extremely ticklish.

"Thanks for confiding in me," she said earnestly, "I support you."

When Castiel came home, his brother was brooding over his books and notes. Cas remembered that he, too, had homework to do. He dropped his schoolbag next to the chair opposite of Gabriel. He walked over to the kitchenette and poured himself a glass of water.

"How was your day?" Gabriel asked when Castiel sat down with a sigh.

He closed his book with a thud.

"What happened to your hands?!"

"I fell."

"You fell?"

"I was pushed and fell."

"You were pushed and fell?!" Gabriel repeated.

"Yeah," Castiel said and fished for his math book.

"Castiel, talk to me. What happened?" Gabriel asked.

"I had some trouble with this guy at school. But I can handle it, Gabe! Don't flip out, okay?"

"Are you being bullied?"

"No, Gabe, I'm not, okay?" Castiel forced himself to look straight into Gabriel's face.

"Fine. But hey – if there's something wrong you tell me and we figure it out, right?"

"Right."

Gabriel didn't dig any deeper. He emptied the table and started to make pancakes. Gabriel could always eat pancakes, it was almost gross. He poured maple syrup all over it, or ate them with Nutella. Castiel tried to do his homework, but it was in vain. He simply couldn't concentrate.

He decided to take a shower to relax. He loosened the bandages from his hands. The scratches burned when the warm water ran over them, but apart from that the shower was marvelous.

He had just finished toweling himself off when the doorbell rang. It was a shrill noise. "I'm going," Gabriel informed him through the closed bathroom door. Castiel could hear a muffled conversation, then the door was closed again.

"Dude, I didn't know you had Rapunzel coming over," Gabriel called.

"What?" Castiel asked confused.

"There's this guy at the door who wants to speak to you. I told him to wait a second."

"Who is it?" Castiel wanted to know.

Gabriel gave no answer. Castiel assumed that he had shrugged. He rubbed his hair for a last time and put on a pair of boxers and his blue bathrobe in a hurry.

He stepped out of the bathroom barefoot. Hesitantly he opened the door. He peeked through the gap.

"Cas?" Dean asked gravelly.

Castiel slammed the door shut. What was he doing here? Hadn't pushing him at school been enough? And how did he even know where he lived? Duh, he had told him in person.

Castiel breathed heavily while he leaned against the door. He wanted to call out for Gabriel who had vanished into his bedroom.

"Cas?" Dean called again from the other side of the door. "Hey, listen, man, I came to apologize. Come on. Open the door."

There was a moment of silence and Cas thought that maybe he had left.

"Please."

Castiel slowly opened the door again. This time the gap was a little bigger, but he still clutched the door ready to close it within seconds. Dean looked over Cas and suddenly he was all to self-conscious. He fastened his belt and glared at Dean, trying to look sullen and not a teensy bit afraid.

"Yeah, I just wanted to, you know…"

Castiel didn't say anything but looked at Dean expectantly. The Winchester was studying his pointy shoes, biting his lips. Not very menacing, Castiel had to admit, but still looks could be deceiving as he knew only too well.

"I'm sorry. I lost my temper this morning."

Castiel still didn't reply anything. Dean desperately searched Castiel's face for a reaction.

"See, Cas, I've been stressed out for a long time. Lisa – that's the girl you've seen me with – is my ex." Dean exhaled as if he had come to a decision. "She is pregnant and I thought it was because of me and I was freaked out. Turned out that I'm not the father. I found out just yesterday. I hadn't told Sam and Dad. And then you told Sam what you saw and the penny dropped. He started asking questions. And Dad got wind of it. He gave me the full-on _why-didn't-you-tell-me-I'm-your-damn-father_ speech and although everything's okay he told me off for it and I was pissed at you cause you sort of pulled the trigger, you know? It's really nothing personal. What I said about Luc – I didn't mean it. From what Sammy told you really are a good guy. So, yeah, I'm really sorry."

When Dean called him a "good guy" Castiel blushed against his will. He didn't want to forgive Dean – but know he understood why Dean had acted that way, even if he didn't approve it. Still Dean really looked like he meant it – he looked perfectly crestfallen, hands dug deep into his jacket's pockets, an apologetic expression on his face.

"I would've bought you flowers," Dean said with the hint of a smile, indicating he was joking, "but I wasn't sure which one you like."

Cas smiled a little.

"So, um, can I take you out for pizza or something?" Dean asked, this time sounding serious.

"Now?" Castiel blurted out.

"Or tomorrow or whenever you like," Dean said.

"Yeah, m-maybe tomorrow…" Cas stammered.

"Is that a Yes?" Dean questioned.

"Yes."

Dean nodded. He tentatively stepped forward and playfully boxed Cas' shoulder.

"I'll pick you up at seven."

"Okay," Cas replied breathlessly.

Dean rushed down the stairs. It was when Cas heard the front door thunk shut, that he too slowly closed their door.

He marched into his room and sank onto the mattress. What a day.

**Yeah, what a day. TBC...**


	12. flirting and foodgasms

**Seems like I'm always starting my chapter like this, but: Sorry for not updating for so long! We're having some important tests going at school and I had this serious writer's block. And then yesterday I read this writing advice book and it said "You got writer's block? Just keep writing, even if it's bullshit." So, yeah, I did and here I am (it's not BS, I hope). I kinda wanted to make it good enough for you, that's why it took so long. Also I had to solve the awkwardness. Well, let's see if I did okay, shall we?**

**Also, I want to thank the 100 people who have made it to this chapter. You are divine beings and I love you.**

_God, was that awkward!_ Dean started the Impala's engine and set off towards home. He hadn't intended to ask Cas out. It had just sort of happened. Castiel's blue eyes had been dazzling. He couldn't think straight.

Sam had been cool towards him all day and Charlie had scolded him too, when she found out what had happened. He had felt guilty all day. It had been Sam who suggested he should go apologize. Dean had rejected the idea at first. Saying it was a good idea would've meant to admit he'd made a mistake. But eventually had given in.

When he saw the way Cas was clinging to the door for support, he had felt really bad. He was ashamed of himself.

He had made that totally not funny flower joke to ease the situation. _And then I asked him out. Wait. No. It's not like we're going on a date or something, _Dean thought. He shook his head. All he wanted was kiss and make up. Well, without the kissing. Just making it up to him. God, what happened to his brain?!

Dean vanished into his room as soon as he got home. John and Kate were watching some TV downstairs and Sam had been up in his room, studying for a Spanish test. When he heard Dean arrive, he put his vocabulary book aside and walked over to his brother's room.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Peachy," Dean grunted.

"Did he accept your apology?" Sam wanted to know.

"I don't know, man," Dean answered, unconsciously scratching the back of his head, "He wouldn't even let me in."

"But he talked to you, didn't he?"

"Yeah, kind of. I've invited him to grab some dinner tomorrow," Dean told him.

"You what?" Sam asked surprised.

"I… I asked him whether he wanted to go get some pizza or something and he said yes," Dean said sounding unsure, "That's a good sign, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess," Sam said and sat down beside Dean.

He was pleased that Dean had apologized to his friend; he was surprised that Dean had asked Cas to have dinner with him and he was worried about Dean's tone.

"Want to come with us?" Dean asked, and to Sam, it seemed like he sounded hopeful. "Maybe it's less awkward with you around."

"I think this is between you and Cas."

Cas rifled through the piles of clothes that he kept in the drawers of the bottom shelf. He wondered whether he should change clothes at all. After all they were not going on a date. He didn't want Dean to think that he got all dolled up for him. He finally decided to wear his favorite t-shirt, a blue _Doctor Who_ one and a black hoodie. Nothing special, really.

He was just brushing his teeth (not a date, though, he generally liked having fresh breath), when Gabriel popped into the room.

"You're having a date, huh?"

"Uh, no…"

"Come on, you're not fooling me. You made your hair. Who's it? Rapunzel? Come on, you've got a crush on the guy, right?"

"How d'you know – how d'you know I'm gay?" Cas inquired bewildered, tooth brush left forgotten in his hand.

He looked at his brother, who was grinning broadly.

"Oh, Cassie, I always knew. Right from the day you were born. I saw your cute little face and thought 'yeah, totally gay'."

"What?!" Cas spit out.

"I was just joking, kiddo," Gabriel said with a laugh, "I had no idea. So this _is_ your date?"

"No," Cas said with sigh, "He's not."

"So, where are you going tonight?"

"We – that's me and Rapunzel – I mean Dean – we are having dinner. But it's _not_ a date."

"Oh, you're just _bros_, yeah, I get it."

The way Gabriel pronounced it, it sounded like he didn't believe it. Castiel glared at him. Gabe laughed at him and left, presumably to the fridge.

"Be sure to use protection!" he called from the corridor.

"I'm not having sex with Dean!" Cas shouted annoyed. _Not at the moment, at least._

When it was the time Dean had said he would come, Cas was sitting nervously on the couch. Gabriel had gone, too. He said something about going to some college chick's party.

"Call me if there's something, okay, kid?"

Cas nodded absent-minded.

When the doorbell rang, Cas hurried over to the door.

"Hello, Dean," he said breathless.

"Hey, Cas. You ready to go?"

Cas nodded again. Cas locked the door and off they went.

The waitress was only a few years older than them. She had light pink hair tied to a ponytail that was see-sawing while she walked in front of them to seat them.

They were led to a cozy booth with the typical red leather benches. They sat down on each side.

"Here are the menus," she said in a cheery voice, "Take your time, I'll be back in a sec."

They both picked up their menus and studied them a bit more thoroughly than they'd normally do, so that they wouldn't have to say something. When Cas shifted in his seat to get in a more comfortable position, his feet touched Dean's. Dean winced slightly and Cas withdrew his legs with a jerk.

To his relief this was when the waitress arrived.

"What can I getcha?" she asked, looking from one of them to the other.

Dean indicated that Cas should order first.

"Um, I'll take the cheese burger," Cas said without much thought, "and a coke, please."

"Same for me," Dean said, when the waitress turned towards him, "with extra bacon, though and the sausages."

"Excellent choice!" she exclaimed.

They handed her the menus and when she took Dean's she gave him a large smile.

They didn't know what to talk about at first. Castiel looked out of the window to the dark parking lot and Dean was fumbling with the pepper caster.

"What's that thing on your t-shirt?" Dean asked after some awkward minutes.

"This?" Cas asked sheepishly and looked down, as if he had forgotten what he was wearing. "Um, it's a _Doctor Who _fan shirt."

Dean gave him a quizzical look.

"Is that the Chinese version of _Dr Sexy MD_?" he asked.

"What the hell is _Dr Sexy MD_?!" Cas asked.

"I asked you first," Dean said quickly.

"It's this British TV show. It's science-fiction. Well, kind of."

"So, you like science-fiction?" Dean asked unnecessarily.

"Yeah, some of it."

"Me too," Dean replied, "So, what's this show about? The Queen drinking tea in space?"

Castiel didn't laugh. No one fucked with his favorite shows.

"No, not exactly. The main character is this alien, the Doctor. He's got a time-machine slash spaceship. It looks like a blue phone box." Castiel pointed at his shirt to prove his point. "He travels through time and space with his human companions and they have all sorts of adventures and he saves people and does genocide and stuff. You should watch it some time."

Cas had talked very fast and Dean didn't catch most of it. He didn't mind too much, though.

"Yeah, I will," he answered vaguely.

A glow had appeared in Castiel's deep blue eyes. Dean loved it when people talked about the things they liked. It didn't matter what they were saying but the happiness shining on their faces was like a free gift. That's why he didn't mind Charlie rambling about _Star Wars _so often. Sure, he liked it, too, but when it came to the names of all of Padmé Amidala's maids his interest was rather limited. But when Charlie talked about it (well, maybe not at this random fact of trivia, but something of the sort), her eyes glittered – and now Cas' eyes did the same. They said eyes were the door to the soul or something. Cas' eyes were like an unsolved mystery, just like Cas himself. He never revealed much about himself, unless he was asked directly. That he didn't talk so much was a pity, Dean thought, because his voice was pleasant.

Dean was so lost in thought about Cas that he jumped a little when Cas said: "I like _your_ shirt."

"I'm Batman," Dean said smiling, "Just without the gay companion. Yet."

Cas tilted his head in confusion. Dean bit on his tongue. What the hell was he saying?!

"Batman and Robin?!"

"Sorry, I'm not so familiar with comics," Cas said.

"Uh, forget it, doesn't matter, anyway."

But now they were talking. Nothing to personal. Just what kind of things they liked. Dean told Cas that he was learning how to play the guitar. Castiel was impressed.

"I don't know how to do _anything_," he said with a sigh. "When I was a kid I wanted to do skateboarding like my brother Gabriel. I stood on a board for about three seconds then I fell down and my knees were a bloody mess. I decided to never _ever _skateboard again."

Dean cleared his throat and then he asked subdued: "How are your hands?"

Cas put them on the table, palms facing the ceiling. There were just thin lines on them. They didn't hurt anymore.

Dean traced one of the lines with his index finger, not looking at Cas. Cas was internally screaming. What was happening?

When their waitress – her name plate said Holly – put their fully laden plates in front of them, Dean was no longer touching his hands.

"Enjoy your meal," she said. She turned towards Dean again and added: "If there's anything else I can get you, just ask."

She winked flirtatiously. Dean chuckled, clearly used to female attention. Cas picked up one of the fries that were served with the burger and said in a what he hoped was a manly-buddy-ish way: "She wants ya bad..."

Dean grinned.

"I know. But this is _our _date, hon," he replied in a playful tone.

Castiel felt the blood creeping up in his face. Hastily he picked up his burger with his bare hands, embracing his inner uncivilized American, to conceal his reddening cheeks. He took a large bite. Dean copied him.

The burger truly was amazing. Dean hadn't lied when he had gushed about the place. The meat was medium, the lettuce was still crisp and the bread was firm. The cheese hadn't melted completely. It was in perfect symbioses with the tomatoes. All in all it was a perfect cheese burger.

Castiel chewed on his burger with a blissful smile. The tastes mingled on his tongue and when he had swallowed it all, he moaned satisfied.

Dean stopped chewing and looked at him in wide-eyed surprise.

"It's just… these make me very happy. Burgers, I mean," Cas apologized.

When Dean's mouth was fit for speaking he said: "I know, _foodgasm_! Sam mocks me all the time for it, but I mean, why hide your love for greasy junk food? I mean whatever floats your boat, right?"

And as if to bottom line all this he bit into his burger, with closed eyes and made the most perfect _happy noise_ Cas had ever heard. He shifted in his seat. _Breathe, Castiel_.

He sipped at his coke. Dean was looking at him again. Castiel licked the sugary liquid from his lower lip, in what he hoped was an erotic way.

Dean tried hard not to grin again. Instead he raised one of his eye-brows, picked up a fork and speared one of his sausages.

"Hey, Cas, you wanna taste my wiener?" he asked in a seductively lowered voice.

Cas choked on his coke.

"Don't spill your juice out so quick, lover boy," Dean said, now laughing, too.

There was just a bit left of Cas' burger and looking at it he said "I want you inside me" and stuffed it into his mouth.

Dean paid their bill – he insisted, it was an apology after all – and they left the diner. Dean had his arm around Cas' shoulders and they were giggling all over the way to the Impala.

"Dude, that was the most fun I had in ages!" Dean proclaimed.

Cas was happy.

**That's it. Again. So, what do you think? Good, bad? Reviews, please!**


	13. It's a Ruby party

**Re-uploaded because yesterday the formatting was totally fucked up. So now new. I hope you like it. Leave a review!**

"Guess, I see you tomorrow then," Dean stated unnecessarily when they halted in front of the Novaks' apartment.

Cas smiled in response.

"See you."

He slipped out of the car and went to the door. At the steps he glanced back and caught Dean observing him. The Winchester grinned awkwardly and started the motor.

Cas marched upwards. Gabriel wasn't home yet. Castiel wasn't surprised. It was after all only shortly after nine.

Nonetheless Cas changed in his pajamas and snuggled under his blanket. He picked up a book, but it was no use; he read the first sentence for a couple of times without getting any meaning out of it.

Dean Winchester had enjoyed his company! He had genuinely seemed to like him. Castiel still couldn't believe it. Hell, he liked him, too. Not only his optical characteristics, he meant. The way he had lowered his voice had sent shivers all the way down his spine. He had been _dirty-talking,_ for heaven's sake. Cas, too. There was something about Dean that made him feel comfortable – even after what happened between them. He had called him _lover boy_ and he had fucking _moaned. _It had been so damn freaking hot!

Cas checked his cell for new messages. Not that he was expecting any, but after that one incident where he had lost Gabe in a mall, he wanted to make sure.

There was a message; not from his brother, though. It was a text from Anna.

_how did it go?_

It said there. Cas typed a reply. He was not good with the small keys, so it took him some time.

_It went really ok. I'll tell you tomorrow._

Only seconds later his phone rang.

"Tell me now!" Anna commanded.

And Cas did. He spared out some details, however. He just told her that it had been awkward at first and that eventually they had gotten along pretty well. Cas had kept his _feelings_ for Dean to himself before and he wasn't going to tell Anna just now. He trusted her to keep her mouth shut, but they had just reunited and Cas didn't know what exactly he was feeling for Dean and he wasn't really in the mood to discuss it all. Anna loved discussing things.

"So, you forgive him?" Anna inquired.

"Meh, let's say I give him a second chance," Cas answered thoughtfully, "He really seems sorry and he went through a lot of shit lately, I guess."

Cas was looking forward to lunch break. He had seen Dean briefly in the morning. He had been very friendly, almost treating him like a friend. He had patted his back and whished him and his brother a good day. Cas was thinking about the day before. So, great, Dean liked him. But was there a possibility for Dean to like-like him (in the future)? He knew that Dean had had things with girls. Bisexuality actually was a thing, though. Was there a way to find out if there had been boys in Dean's past, too? He could ask Anna. She probably would be able to give him a satisfying answer, but she would ask questions. Even if Dean was interested in boys, what was he going to do? Ask him out? And this time for real?

Castiel didn't pay much attention to the morning classes. So he was caught in surprise when his lab partner addressed him.

"Did you hear that?" she asked in her nasal voice.

"What…?" he asked with a blank expression.

"We are supposed to do this together."

She pointed at the ingredients to an experiment that lay on their table. How had they gotten there? He couldn't remember the teacher to give them out.

"Uh, okay."

When they had finished the experiment – it was a rather unspectacular one involving a potato – Cas was writing their report.

"Meg, that's short for Megan, isn't it?" he asked, when he wrote their names on the paper.

"No, Clarence, it's short for Megatron," she snapped.

"It's Castiel…"

"Yes, and it's Meg. Simply Meg."

Most students were still working, or pretending to do so. Cas and Meg were not talking to each other. It was just before the bell rang that she asked: "Are you going to Ruby's party?"

She walked him to the teacher's desk were he handed the paper over.

"I wasn't invited to a party…" Cas said.

"Oh, it's not _that kind_ of party," Meg said, "It's a _my-parents-are-rich-and-I'm-home-alone-for-the-weekend-so-let's-have-a-house-party_-party. Which means that, basically, everyone is invited."

"Oh," Cas replied stupidly.

He had never been to a party were everyone was invited. He had thought those only existed in the movies.

"So, you comin'?" she wanted to know.

"I don't know," Cas answered honestly.

This was the point were Sam was joining them.

"But you'll come, aren't you, Sasquatch?" she asked, poking him in the ribs.

"What?"

"_Ruby_ is hosting a party. The weekend after next. Surprised _you _didn't know."

The way she was pronouncing things it was clear that she, too, had noticed how Sam was gazing at her during classes.

"I, well, maybe I'll come. What about you, Cas?"

"Well, okay, maybe."

"Fantastic."

When they reached the cafeteria, Meg left them. She joined said Ruby on a table. The black-haired girl asked her a few questions and then quickly looked over to Sam, who was turning his head just in time to avoid her eyes.

"Since when are you talking to Meg Masters?" Dean asked his younger brother.

He looked after the brunette, frowning. He couldn't stand this Meg. There was something arrogant about her. _You can't stand anyone_, Lisa had once said. Although she was probably right about that, Dean still had his reasons for disliking the girl. Sam and Meg had been in elementary together and one bright summer afternoon they had decided to run away together. Sam had found a dog and John hadn't let him keep it. Sam was pissed. So he decided to run away. It had happened on Dean's "shift" – he was supposed to look after Sam. That was his job. Sam returned the same evening, but Dean got yelled at anyway.

"I wasn't talking to her," Sam said defensively.

"Yeah, I see."

Sam was displaying a bitch-face that made Dean sigh.

"She talked to me _and Cas_. About Ruby's party."

"You know Meg?" Dean addressed Cas, a bit more gruff than intended.

"No. I – I mean, yes. She's my lab partner," Cas answered hastily, watching Dean heedfully as if he was expecting Dean to flip again. "Our teacher is making us sit next to a girl. I didn't chose to sit next to her."

Guilt was creeping up in Dean again.

"Hey, man, it's alright."

They sat down on their usual spot. Soon they were joined by the members of _Colt_: Becky, Chuck and Kevin, a ninth grader with a helmet of jet-black hair, who was accompanied by his girlfriend Channing.

Becky pulled out bright blue envelopes and handed them to her fellow "journalists" and Cas. They all gave her a puzzled look. Dean thought he knew what she was aiming at. Jo had always put given out the invitations to her birthday parties that way. Once they had been bright pink with kittens on it. It was an interesting contrast to the location where the birthday had taken place: the Harvelles' _Roadhouse_, a slightly gloomy establishment, with lots of patina. For Jo's birthday Ellen had always closed the bar for a day. She had made the most marvelous cakes and had generously allowed the kids to turn the place upside down while the jukebox was playing tunes. He had adored these parties.

And Dean was proven right, because soon Becky declared: "These are birthday invitations. I promise it's gonna be _awesome_!"

Sam looked rather not so enthusiastic. Cas seemed surprised to be invited, too. He shared a look with Dean, a non-verbal _Why would anyone invite me?_ Dean could not help but smile at him.

"It's next Wednesday. And Chuck here has cancelled our _Colt _meeting so you can all come. And feel free to bring someone."

She looked around, cheeks red with excitement. She was trying so hard to make friends. Maybe that's why she had so little, Dean thought. She was trying too hard. But who was he to judge? He had about three friends himself. He was sitting at lunch with his baby brother's friends, for heaven's sake.

Cas on the other hand had made a whole bunch of friends in the short time he was here. The quiet boy was seemingly trying _not at all_. Sam liked him a lot, Charlie liked him, he was talking to Meg Masters, and Becky had invited him to her birthday… Everyone seemed to love the guy as soon as they met him. Well, there was something about him. He was funny. You had to tickle him, figuratively speaking, but if you did, you found humor and irony and _wit._ Dean found himself lost for words around him. Everything he wanted to say was not clever enough. He'd never had a problem with making dumb jokes. But he didn't want Cas to think he was dumb, _too_.

"Are you gonna bring someone?" Sam asked Cas.

Cas shrugged and then, Dean was surely imagining this, wasn't he?, he looked at Dean, blushing.

"How are you holding up, Cassie-dear?" his mother asked on the phone.

"I'm great, Mom," he answered.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. There's no need to sound so surprised," Castiel said.

Amelia Novak laughed on the other end of the line.

"Have you made any friends?" she asked charily.

Castiel made a confirming noise. "Sam and Dean Winchester. They are brothers. Sam's in my year and Dean's a bit older."

"That's nice."

"And I'm invited to a girl's birthday party next week."

"That's nice," she repeated.

"Yes, it is."

"How's your brother?"

"He's baking a cake as we speak, shall I get him on the phone?"

**For those of you who are wondering: this story is set in the pre-smartphone-pre-facebook age. Sometime in the early 2000s. That's why Cas hasn't been stalking Dean online. I think it's easier to write about that. More interesting, anyway. **


	14. An art project and Abraham Lincoln

**A shorter chapter this time. I didn't want to keep you waiting. What I said last chapter about it being set in the early 2000s: forget it again. Probably rather around 2008. Because Cas is a fan of the Tenth Doctor and that wouldn't make sense in 2001, would it?**

"Winchester," Dean said when picking up the phone.

"Dean, you are going to invite Jo to come," Charlie's voice sounded from the other end of the line.

"I'm going to invite Jo to come," Dean repeated, "Wait, what?"

"To our sleep over. I want you to invite her."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you are my best friend and really concerned about my happiness and satisfaction of needs," Charlie responded.

"She's not into girls, Charlie!"

"How do you know? Leave that to me, alright? You should at least give me a chance… And maybe she'll get over you if you let me."

Dean growled. She might had a point.

"I take that as a Yes. So, did you ask Castiel?" Charlie wanted to know.

"Not yet."

"It's tomorrow."

"I know, man. I just didn't have the –"

"Courage?"

"- chance to ask him. It's not that way, Charlie! I just forgot to ask. Cas and I are just buddies. I mean I just met him, practically. I don't even know the guy. Sam likes him. So I figured why not invite him, okay?"

Charlie laughed.

"Just because _you_ are gay -"

"I'm just _also_ very concerned about your happiness, Dean," Charlie interrupted him in a falsely serious tone, "See you tomorrow, then."

On that afternoon, Sam and Cas met at the Novaks' apartment to get some work done on their history presentation on the Gettysburg Address.

"Are you bringing anyone to Becky's birthday?" Sam asked while they were looking for a nice picture of Abraham Lincoln.

"I'm bringing Anna," Cas answered, "What about you?"

"Who am _I_ supposed to bring?" Sam asked sarcastically.

"What about that Ruby?" Cas asked tentatively.

"No. Hell, no."

"Why not? I mean you're not exactly shy, like me."

"Yeah, maybe," Sam admitted, "but… She doesn't like me. Me and Ruby is not gonna happen."

Castiel gave him a questioning look. He didn't want to press Sam, but he was curious. Was this a simple case of unrequited love or was there something more to it? It seemed to be common knowledge that Sam had a thing for Ruby. Meg had known. And Cas, who was the new kid, had noticed, too. Sam sighed.

"I know her since middle school. She used to be quite different. She was blonde for starters. She was always a bit difficult, you know. We were sort of hanging out in eighth grade. I think she felt quite lonely sometimes. She's an only child and her parents are often in Hong Kong or someplace. She changed a lot since then. Started hanging out with Crowley, this kid called Az and your cousin Luc. She's not interested in me anymore. She's been really _unfriendly_ towards me. Guess we were not meant to be. She's a badass and I'm a friggin' freak."

"No, you're not," Castiel said, aiming to comfort, "I think you're pretty cool, anyway."

"Thanks for saying that. I feel like it quite often, though. Being the clever kid isn't always that easy… but I guess you know that."

They fell silent, avoiding each others eye. It was awkward in a way. Sam had confided in Cas and Cas had told him that he liked him; they were both happy in a way, sharing this moment of trust and understanding, yet not completely comfortable with the situation.

Gabriel came to their rescue. He walked in, carrying two boxes of pizza in his arms and wearing a large black moustache. A grin appeared on his face as he mustered Cas' classmate.

"Sam, this is my brother Gabriel who is, for no apparent reason, wearing a fake moustache," Cas introduced him and added: "Why are you wearing a fake moustache again?"

"It's, uh, for an _art project_," he answered evasively.

He placed the card board boxes onto the kitchen counter.

"So, you are the famous Sam," Gabe declared, "You look even better than what I pictured after seeing Rapunzel."

"What?" Sam stammered, both confused and taken aback by the blunt compliment, "Rapunzel? Do you mean the hair…?"

"No. He means Dean. Gabe, it's Dean, how often do I have to tell you?!"

Gabe replied by rolling his eyes.

"I didn't know you were coming, Sam, that's why I got only two pizzas. Guess that means we have to _share_, then," he said with an almost dirty smile.

Cas buried his face in his hands. His. Brother. Was. So. Embarrassing.

As they ate their first slices of pizza, Gabriel asked: "Um, Cassie, you don't mind me having a couple of friends over for tomorrow night, do you? It's for this art project."

"No, I don't mind," Cas assured him.

"It's just, it could get loud and I really don't want to bother you…"

"It's fine."

Gabriel looked down on his plate, apparently trying to find the right words between the pepperoni and cheese.

"You could stay with us, Cas," Sam said slowly, "We're having a _Back To The Future _marathon. Dean asked me to invite you anyway. You're into time traveling, aren't you?"

Gabriel looked at Sam with newfound admiration, but Cas luckily didn't notice. _Dean asked me to invite you_. Dean. Dean!

"I would love to," Cas breathed.

"Cool. We're having a gigantic sleep-over. Charlie's coming, too, and Jo and Ash, you'll like them."

He was not going to be the only one? Somehow that dragged Cas down a little. For a moment he thought he was something special. But it seemed that Dean had invited quite a lot of people. He had to think positive, though. He was going to spend time with him. That was something, right?

When Sam had left, Cas cleared the table. Gabe was sitting lazily on the couch. He had rid himself of the moustache.

"He's a handsome fella, your Sam," he stated.

"He is _fifteen_, Gabe, _fifteen_!" Castiel said warningly.

"Hey, bro, calm down. A girl can dream, right?"

Cas glared at him.

"Am I sensing jealousy here? And a love triangle maybe, Cassie?" Gabriel teased, "You and the Winchester boys? Cause that would be really naughty. Wasn't expecting that from you."

"Your senses are wrong, 'kay?" Cas answered hotly, "Sam and me are just friends. It's just Dean - "

"It _is _Dean, then?"

"No. I hate you."

**Please leave reviews, dear readership. I know you're there, I can see you. Don't be shy…**


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